Let’s stop placing blame on the fighters & redirect it to who is responsible!

 Let’s stop placing blame on the fighters & redirect it to who is responsible!

When in the heat of the moment and the momentum is going at a fight, it’s very easy to get caught up in the moment and we forget that there’s more to behind who wins or a loses.

In recent days, there’s been more talk than ever about judges scoring cards wrongly and lopsided. Our first reaction as a viewer, a fan, an expert, is to react. We go on rants, we voice clear disapproval of a decision made that wasn’t supposed to be made, witnessing boxing politics first hand.

Let’s start with Bradley vs. Pacquiao. The split decision made headlines around the world. C.J. Ross was yet again a judge on that card and when the media, as well as boxing fans, demanded that she be fired or disciplined, the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s, Executive Director, Keith Kizer defended her. Bradley said he endured death threats and it made him contemplate whether or not he wanted to continue boxing. He felt what was supposed to be the most exciting moment of his life, was overshadowed by the judges decision.

Again, earlier this year a controversial split decision between J’Leon Love and Gabriel Rosado, in favor of Love, upset everyone in attendance and watching from all over the world. The reaction from the crowd was something no fighter will forget. Love was booed, taunted, attacked from all angles via social media. What was supposed to be a victorious, memorable moment in Love’s career was also overshadowed by a poor decision.

And just the other day this happened to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., when he won by decision over Brian Vera. The audience felt robbed, including Vera himself who expressed his thoughts on the loss as being, “sick to my stomach” and “robbed.” The crowd erupted into disapproval, even Chavez Jr’s fans felt let down by the boxing community.When I was at the post-fight press conference, Chavez,Jr. appeared to have been crying. Boxing fans, at the end of the day, just want to see the best man win. So when judges make sloppy decisions, it only then spirals down hard on the fighter himself and is this fair?

After all, was it really Bradley, Love or Chavez Jr’s fault that the judges called the fight the way they did? It really made me take a step back and I realized in that moment that I too was being too hard on the fighters. They didn’t go to their corner and say, “make them vote in favor of me.” It’s the judges who we should be crucifying. It was only until judge, C.J. Ross, who also infamously scored the Mayweather vs. Canelo fight a 114-114, got major slack from the fans and media, that she decided to retire. Doing us all a favor.

Fans have more power than you realize. It takes us taking a more vocal public stance to see changes made. Nothing will happen over night but it can perhaps be the start of a movement that will eventually end corrupt boxing politics.

-Michelle Joy Phelps

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