Cole’s blunders fueled Manny’s attack

If the bout went the distance and neither fighter dominated, Manny Pacquiao would’ve lost to Marco Antonio Barrera on points because the dice were loaded in San Antonio last Saturday night.

Referee Laurence Cole and the three judges were all Texans. Fight promoter Oscar de la Hoya chose the Alamodome as the venue because he knew San Antonio would be friendly to Barrera and hostile to Pacquiao. There were 10,217 fans who bought tickets for the fight and only a handful were Filipinos. The rest were highly partisan, pro-Barrera fans, many of whom waved flags, brandishing the Mexican colors of red, white and green.

Cole, 40, is nicknamed "El Guapo" and has worked over 20 world title fights since 1994. His father Dick was a long-time president of the North American Boxing Federation, which is affiliated with the World Boxing Council (WBC). Cole used to tag along with his father in major boxing events as a photographer before joining the elite corps of referees "because of connections," according to a fight insider.

Cole’s first world title assignment involved Filipino Rolando Bohol who was stopped by Orlando Canizales in an International Boxing Federation bantamweight championship match in 1994. He also worked the 1999 match where Luisito Espinosa was robbed of his WBC featherweight crown by Cesar Soto. Cole has traveled to Mexico, Japan, England, Germany and Canada for assignments.

Last Saturday’s judges were Ray Hawkins of Dallas, Rick Crocker of San Antonio and Gale Van Hoy of Houston. The most senior of the panel was Van Hoy who turns 70 this week. He was part of the hanging jury that voted against Espinosa in the Soto fight in 1999.

International referee Bruce McTavish, a New Zealander who is a long-time Angeles City resident, said Cole’s bias against Pacquiao was evident when he ruled a knockdown on a clear slip in the first minute of the opening round. That bad call awarded Barrera a 10-8 round which the US TV panel called "an administrative gift."

McTavish recalled four other bad calls by Cole.

"Barrera went down from a punch in the sixth round and Cole called it a slip," he said. "In the seventh, Cole warned Barrera for deliberately butting Manny. There should’ve been an automatic deduction but Cole only issued a warning. In the ninth, Cole finally deducted a point from Barrera for a deliberate butt but it should’ve been a two-point deduction. And lastly, Cole was a flurry too late in stopping the fight. Maybe if Barrera’s cornerman didn’t rush in, Cole wouldn’t have even stopped it."

The delay in Cole’s stoppage could’ve been because of fear of antagonizing De la Hoya and the pro-Barrera crowd. Since there was only a round left, perhaps Cole wanted it to go the distance to avoid an embarrassing knockout defeat by Barrera. The fight ended at 2:56 of the 11th.

McTavish said under WBC rules, Pacquiao would’ve been slapped a point deduction for the accidental headbutt that opened a cut over Barrera’s left eye in the seventh round. But since Saturday’s bout was not sanctioned by any governing body, McTavish said there was no automatic deduction.

"Under US rules, the deduction is not automatic on a cut inflicted by an accidental butt," explained McTavish. "Under WBC rules, it is. On a deliberate butt that opens a cut but does not lead to stopping the fight, the penalty is a two-point deduction. On a deliberate butt that leads to stopping the fight, the penalty is disqualification."

Cole’s five miscues betrayed his prejudice, said McTavish. "Obviously, he doesn’t like Filipinos," noted McTavish. Or he just favored Barrera and his promoter who probably paid him a fee of anywhere between $2,000 and $13,500.

McTavish said in a WBC title fight, the referee earns one percent of the total purses of the main eventers. But in an unsanctioned people’s championship bout, the referee’s fee could be as low as $2,000. Judges would be paid about $1,200 each.

McTavish implied that if Pacquiao did not dominate the fight, he would’ve likely lost the decision. "The signs were clear from the start, right when Cole ruled a knockdown against Manny when it was a slip," he said. "Off the bat, Cole gave Barrera a 10-8 advantage."

At the time of the stoppage, Hawkins and Crocker had it 97-90 and Van Hoy, 97-89, all for Pacquiao. The Star scored it 97-90.

McTavish said Barrera seemed ready to give up when ringside physician Dr. Joseph Coronado examined the cut over his left eye in the seventh round. After Dr. Coronado said he could go on, Barrera was overheard asking, "Are you sure?" If the fight ended at that point, Pacquiao would’ve won on a technical decision–a less shameful finish for Barrera.

Cole’s bad calls hardly discouraged Pacquiao who seemed to draw inspiration from the agitation. Pacquiao made sure of Cole’s irrelevance in deciding the outcome of the biggest fight so far in his storybook career. — Joaquin Henson