FIGHT ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF INEFFECTIVE AGGRESSION BEING REWARDED BY JUDGES
Las Vegas, NV-This morning heated debates about last nights fight were all over the blogosphere. Last night Canelo Alvarez(44-1, 31 KOs) won a split decision over Erislandy Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) on Showtime PPV. The bout was relatively close, however New Mexico judge Levi Martinez’s 117-111 score(9-3 in rounds) needs to be called into question. Peoples perception of what was the proper outcome was divided.
Erislandy Lara loses questionable decision to Alvarez
If you were a Canelo supporter you felt that the Mexican won the fight with effective body shots and that Lara just ran the whole fight. Your argument was that Lara just refused to engage. A case for that at times could be reasonably made. If you thought the Cuban(Lara) deserved the nod, generally you felt his superior ring generalship and cleaner punching carried weight in most of the rounds. You also recognized that Alvarez missed with most of his punches, and his aggression while rewarded by the judges was overall ineffective. Both sides have a valid case that their man deserved to have their hand raised.
SCORING RULES UNCLEAR TO MAJORITY OF FIGHT VIEWERS
Whether a fighters style is exciting or appealing has no bearing on whether or not he or she deserves to win a bout. Generally what one person perceives as excitement can be two totally different things. In the blogosphere many comments complained of Lara’s running. These claims were used to back their view that Canelo won the fight. It has become clear that most fans of the sport have little to no clue on how a bout is to be properly scored. Judges like Levi Martinez who obviously rewarded the Mexican’s ineffective aggression need their scorecards reviewed by the commission.
BOXING IS ABOUT CLEAN PUNCHING
It is obvious that perception nowadays has become reality. Generally casual fans and many judges for that matter reward fighters for coming forward and pressing the fight as the aggressor. However if a fighter marches forward but rarely lands punches and is getting hit in the process, who deserves to win the round? The most important part of the scoring criteria is clean punching.
LARA NOT REWARDED FOR SUPERIOR BETTER BOXING
The assessment is that Lara landed the cleaner scoring blows in the majority of the rounds.If you were going to give Alvarez rounds, it would have to be for his body work. However the work that he did, many of those shots hit Lara’s hip, his back and the scoring shots were not consistent. As for effective head shots, they were almost nonexistent. I think in todays world fighters are penalized by judges for not engaging enough. I can understand their frustration by the tactics of Lara, however you cannot create your own rules when it comes to scoring. The four scoring criteria are CLEAN PUNCHING, EFFECTIVE AGRESSIVENESS, RING GENERALSHIP and DEFENSE, with an emphsis on clean punching.
HOUSE FIGHTER OFTEN GIVEN THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT IN CLOSE ROUNDS
We have seen a trend in boxing for several years now. The notion that an underdog or the less popular fighter needs a knockout to win a fight. The idea that the sport is an unfair competition has become the accepted norm. This is a major problem in the sport. Judges who are brought in from out of town, in this case Levi Martinez know who to vote for. If they go for the house fighter, in this case Alvarez, they expect to get called up for future assignments which include hotel comps, plane tickets as well as pay. As for the perceived idea of outright corruption as it relates to judges and their sometimes questionable scores, most judges are generally nice people. Often times they are influenced by factors which in other sports would be considered conflicts of interest. When a promoter pays for these perks, subconsciously there is an obligation to that promoter.
DOES BOXINGS TRADITIONAL SCORING CRITERIA NEED CHANGE?
The huge problem with boxing today is that many judges apply their own criteria when it comes to scoring fights. Many fans and judges alike oftentimes reward or view a fighter as more effective if he is the one more willing to engage. Ineffective aggressiveness it appears is rewarded religiously in todays fight game. There could or should be a debate that if a fighter like Lara can outbox his foe decisively yet lose by a wide score of 117-111, if the current system is being followed. Should we amend the scoring system to give points or consideration to the fighter more willing to engage?
-Kevin Perry