Pinoy judges seek boxing reforms

MANILA, Philippines -  In the wake of the controversial decision that took away the WBO welterweight championship from Manny Pacquiao and awarded it to Timothy Bradley Jr. in Las Vegas last weekend, two Filipino boxing judges are stepping up efforts in a crusade for reforms in the sport.

Silvestre Abainza, newly elected president of the Association of Philippine Professional Boxing Ring Officials, said yesterday he is suggesting an age limit for referees and judges, a tweak in the scoring system and a requirement of balanced country representation among officials assigned for a fight.

Abainza, 59, has worked over 70 world title fights as a referee and judge. In 1998, he joined Jerry Roth and Larry O’Connell as judges in the WBA minimumweight title bout between Ricardo Lopez and Rosendo Alvarez in Las Vegas. Roth, 71, was one of three judges assigned in the Pacquiao-Bradley bout – the others were Cynthia J. Ross, 62, and Duane Ford, 74. Roth scored it 115-113 for Pacquiao while Ross and Ford, 115-113 for Bradley. Abainza also worked with Ford in the WBA featherweight contest between Derrick Gainer and Oscar Leon in Las Vegas in 2003.

“I can’t question their competence,” said Abainza, referring to Ross and Ford. “They’re well-known judges. I just couldn’t believe their scores when Manny clearly won the fight. I don’t know what an investigation will prove. Things must be done to improve the system. I think there must be an age limit of 65 for referees and judges. Let the next generation take over. I also think that if Manny fights Bradley in case of a rematch, there should be one Filipino judge, one American judge and one European judge. I watched Manny’s fight with Boy Cantada in Taguig and I scored it 116-112 for Manny. So when it was announced that Bradley won by split decision, I was shocked.”

Abainza said he is pushing for a tweak in the scoring system where half a point is an option. In a close round, the score could be 10-9.5; in a round where a fighter had a moderate edge, 10-9 and in a round where a fighter took a decisive edge without a knockdown, 10-8.5.

Abainza said he recalls in the Lopez-Alvarez fight, he scored it 115-113 for Alvarez but Roth had it 116-112 for Lopez and in the Gainer-Leon bout, he saw it 117-110 for Gainer but Ford turned in a close 114-112 mark, also for Gainer. “Too many bad decisions are destroying boxing,” said Abainza. “Take for instance, Nonito Donaire’s fight against Wilfredo Vazquez last February. Donaire won by split decision. Two judges (Don Trell and Levi Martinez) scored it 117-110 for Donaire but the other judge (Ruben Garcia) had it 115-112 for Vasquez. Donaire dominated the fight so how could Garcia score it for Vasquez?”

Another Filipino referee and judge Danrex Tapdasan, 38, echoed Abainza’s call for reforms. He also scored it 116-112 for Pacquiao over Bradley.

“I met Ford in two WBO conventions in Colombia and Puerto Rico the last two years,” said Tapdasan. “He lectures on how to score a fight in conventions of the WBO, WBC, WBA and IBF – that’s how highly respected he is. Although I saw Manny winning the fight, I can’t blame Ford or Ross. The key rounds were the first, fifth and eighth. Ford was the lone wolf who scored the first round for Bradley. Ford and Ross scored the fifth and eighth, also for Bradley. In professional boxing, you score each round as an independent unit. You don’t carry over scores. The first round was very close, nobody dominated, nobody got hurt. In scoring a round, you consider four factors – punches landed, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense. Three of those factors are subjective. You determine who controlled the action, who dictated his own style. In effective aggressiveness, it doesn’t mean just going forward, you can be aggressive even if you’re moving side to side or backward.”

Tapdasan, who has judged three WBO title fights, said he gave the first eight rounds to Pacquiao and the last four to Bradley. “In punches landed, you look at connections in the hitting zone, not on the arms, elbows or gloves,” he said. “Roth was the lone wolf in scoring the fifth and eighth for Manny but I don’t think he was mistaken.”

Tapdasan said he doesn’t agree in setting an age limit for boxing officials. “Maybe, a health limit is better,” he said. “Every year, when a ring official gets a license from the GAB, we must do a chest X-Ray, ECG, blood test and eye refraction. More than age, a referee or judge must be confirmed to be of clear mind, healthy body and good eyesight.”

Tapdasan said as a rule, he doesn’t score even rounds. “The only two occasions where I could score an even round is when a round is not completed due to a headbutt and when two fighters are xerox copies of each other like identical twins,” he said. “Otherwise, I will score every round one way or the other. Judging a fight is complicated. It’s different when you’re scoring at ringside and when you’re scoring at home watching TV. Even the punchstats are not conclusive because there is the factor of human error. I know both Ford and Ross. Ford is considered one of the deans of boxing judges while Ross has been involved in about 20 world title fights. I understand they gave most of the rounds to Bradley because of effective aggressiveness and ring generalship because in the late rounds, Manny didn’t throw too many punches. In the third, fourth and sixth rounds where Bradley was groggy and almost went down, I think the scores should’ve been 10-8.5 if only our proposed scoring system was in effect.”