Judgment miscall

Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer has come out in public to defend embattled boxing judge C. J. Ross. In effect, Kizer also defended himself because he approved Ross’ appointment as one of three judges for the recent Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Saul Alvarez fight in Las Vegas.

Ross, 64, scored it a 114-114 draw, raising not a few eyebrows as it seemed Mayweather dominated the action from start to finish. The two other judges called it wide for the Money Man. Craig Metcalfe saw it 117-111 and Dave Moretti, 116-112. In terms of punches connected, Mayweather had a huge edge, 232 to 117. Alvarez, however, threw more, 526 to 505 but judges score points for accuracy not for effort. 

The remarkable thing is the three judges agreed to score only one round for Alvarez, the 12th when Mayweather virtually turned off his engine. Ross gave rounds 1, 3, 8, 9, 11 and 12 to the Mexican. Moretti awarded rounds 3, 9, 11 and 12 to Alvarez and Metcalfe, rounds 2, 10 and 12. How Ross could’ve scored six rounds for Alvarez was unimaginable. Metcalfe saw Mayweather sweeping rounds 3 to 9 and Moretti, rounds 4 to 8. 

Mayweather said Ross’ scorecard was a joke. The consensus was it was a disgrace. “The one person who must have been blind-sided to Mayweather’s genius was Ross,” wrote Ron Lewis in The Times. “She somehow gave Alvarez a draw, a scorecard so ridiculous that everyone in the Nevada State Athletic Commission will have cringed.” Kizer was the exception. 

“Just because a judge’s scores end up even doesn’t mean the judge necessarily thought the fight as a whole was even,” explained Kizer. “It could be that a judge has six rounds for each fighter but the six rounds she have fighter A, she gave them to him easily and the six rounds she gave fighter B, they were very close rounds, that’s pretty much how it was.” Kizer implied there is a flaw in the system of scoring fights. But you and I know Ross was the flaw.

Ross has been a judge since 1992. Her first name is Cynthia and she’s known as CJ. Someone said the initials CJ stand for Can’t Judge. They could also stand for Criminal Jukebox, Canelo Junkie, Con Job and Crass Joke. Ross has been castigated by nearly everyone in the fight game with Kizer and probably the Alvarez the only exceptions. 

Judges are usually paid an average of $2,500 for headline fights in Las Vegas. But Ross and her two colleagues picked up a check of $8,000 each. The judges’ fees are computed as a percentage of the fighters’ purses. Mayweather was guaranteed $41.5 Million and Alvarez, $5 Million. The disparity reflects who between the two is the main draw. Obviously, Mayweather brings in the crowds. But it takes two to make Money in the ring. Before facing Mayweather, Alvarez was unbeaten and at 23, was supposed to be the toughest opponent for Money since Oscar de la Hoya in 2007. 

Ross’ score wasn’t the first time she went against the grain of fairness or sanity. She had it 115-113 for Timothy Bradley when Manny Pacquiao clearly beat the Desert Storm in their encounter in Las Vegas last year. Duane Ford also saw it 115-113 for Bradley. Jerry Roth was the only judge who had it right, 115-113 for Pacquiao. 

Ross has worked three Pacquiao fights. She was on the panel for the Ricky Hatton and David Diaz bouts. In the Diaz match, Ross was the only judge who didn’t score the eighth round 10-8 for Pacquiao even if the Filipino absolutely chewed up his opponent although there was no knockdown. Pacquiao halted Diaz in the ninth and two judges Gary Merritt and Paul Smith saw it 80-71 at that point and Ross, 80-72.

In August 2011, Abner Mares scored a majority 12-round decision over Joseph Agbeko for the IBF/WBC bantamweight titles. Judges Adalaide Byrd and Oren Shellenberger scored it 115-111, both for the Mexican but Ross had it a draw, 113-all. It was another off-tangent scorecard by CJ.

In May 2011, Filipino Rodel Mayol pounded out a majority 10-round decision over Javier Gallo and Ross once again played it safe, sat on the fence, and submitted a 95-95 draw. Judges Jerry Roth and Lisa Giampa had it 98-92, both for Mayol.

In November 2006, Pacquiao’s brother Bobby was disqualified in a fight against Hector Velazquez. Up to the point of the disqualification, judge Nathan Palmer saw it 95-93 and judge Chuck Giampa had it 94-93, both for Pacquiao. But Ross dissented with a 94-93 advantage for Velazquez.

There were other fights where Ross scored a draw. She had it 95-all when judges Richard Houck and Paul Smith scored it 98-92 both for Kendall Holt over Ben Tackie in February 2008. She again saw it a draw, 114-all, when judge Carol Castellano scored it 116-112 and judge Paul Smith 115-113 for Kevin Kelley over Humberto Soto in 2002. In November 2011, Ross turned in a 95-all scorecard when judge Duane Ford saw it 98-92 and judge Richard Ocasio 97-93 for Juan Carlos Burgos over Luis Cruz for the vacant WBC silver superfeatherweight crown in Las Vegas.

Despite Ross’ miscalls, Kizer continues to patronize her appointments to judge major fights in Las Vegas. Jeff Powell, writing in the Daily Mail, said Ross has “zero understanding of the noble art…she committed an act of vandalism which desecrated a work of beauty, namely Mayweather’s bedazzling of Alvarez.” Powell added, “This is the same little old lady who came to scandalous conclusion that Pacquiao lost to Bradley, a decision which cost us the Pacman mega-fight with Mayweather that the whole world wanted to see…something should be done about Mrs. C. J. Ross, like retiring her gracefully from the roster of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.”

Boxing took another black eye with Ross’ controversial scorecard. Instead of defending her and himself, Kizer should act decisively in ridding the sport of someone who has repeatedly shown incompetence as a judge. It’s time to clean up.