By Cliff Rold

To address the obvious right away, America’s Rau’shee Warren was not robbed in Beijing on Tuesday night against South Korea’s Oksung Lee. 

No, at the end, both of the fighters in the ring joined the audience in China and anyone watching on television around the world as a mass of people robbed of 11 minutes of their lives by the ineptness from the judges at ringside.  You name it and an existing point of complaint about amateur scoring was on full display.  There were:

1. Flush shots not scored;

2. Unlanded punches scored;

3. Punches scored for the WRONG man.

And not just against Warren.  Lee suffered the same idiocy.  Did it affect the ultimate outcome?  Who knows…because in the last thirty seconds of the bout, behind by only one point, Warren stopped fighting and gave away a big piece of any moral ground he could have had.  In those last thirty seconds, as bad as the judging had been, Warren took the results out of the judge’s hands by putting his own on ice.

It’s a decision certain to haunt him for a long time, probably as long as he takes air.

There was no shame in losing and losing alone won’t likely be the real cause of the pain.  It was a magnificent, and magnificently tough, match even before the opening bell.  Warren, the 21-year old second time Olympian, three-time U.S. Amateur champion and 2007 World Amateur champion from Cincinnati, Ohio versus Lee, the 27-year old 2005 World Amateur Champion from South Korea.  The two had met on the road to Lee’s 2005 title, Warren dropping the bid 31-21. 

Warren-Lee the rematch was a great fight no matter the Olympic round it was taking place in and this time was so much closer. 

In judging what Warren got done in the ring, it can’t be ignored that there were some serious positives.  Warren came out like a house of fire, jumping to a 2-point lead and showing the hand speed, precision inside shots and guile which have made him one of America’s most accomplished amateurs in recent years.  Lee was just as game, getting those two points right back and trading points up to the final bell which left the score at 4-4.  Both men landed shots that were not scored, but it appeared Warren landed more of them and was not being rewarded. 

Strategically, the fight had developed into, and remained, a chess match.  Each warrior having accumulated enough experience to recognize the value of landed counter shots in catching the eyes of the judges, Warren did his best to make Lee come to him, eventually landing a short left hand flush to the face in the midst of a two-way flurry.

It wasn’t scored.

Another counter shot was and Warren led 5-4 and as was the case in the first, the two traded official points.  Warren continued to apply his game plan, firing in combination when close and then stepping out to let Lee follow.  A clean lead southpaw right hook to the body wasn’t scored for Warren; a clean right upstairs wasn’t scored for Lee.  The round ended 6-6 with another case that Warren could be ahead but nothing horribly amiss and faulty scoring on both sides.

In the third, things got stupid.  A clean right from Lee and clean left from Warren…score still 6-6.  Warren then circled the ring, looking for an opening, and found it gaping, connecting with a slashing lead left to the point of Lee’s chin.  Stevie Wonder sat up and hollered ‘Good shot.’

It was scored for Lee.

To understand how bad this is, remember three of the five judges had to see the same punch completely opposite of its reality for the point to count.

About a minute later, Warren tried the same tactic but missed with a wild lead right and tripped over his own feet.  Lee pounced but missed with a lead left to the head followed by a right that just missed.  As Warren used his hands to keep from hitting the floor altogether, the full affect of Lee’s missed blows were rendered by the judges.

Warren got a point. 

To understand how bad this is, remember three of the five judges have to score the same missed punches completely opposite of reality for the point to count.

Round four began tied 7-7 but a hard and highly visible lead right to the body put Lee ahead (the television announcers called it a point from a clinch but review shows such was not the case).  The good bout gone weird in the third was getting worse as awkward grappling replaced the thoughtful scoring attempts.  Warren tied it back up with a short lead left inside but, with a wild flurry going on, Lee was credited a single point for three blows that all missed (though one right hand did graze  close enough to Warren’s head guard that it could be understood as counting).

There was one minute to go.  It was 9-8 in favor of Lee.  Grappling and lots of movement occupied the ring for thirty seconds of that and then, with thirty seconds more to go, Warren got on his bike a la Sugar Ray Leonard in the waning winning seconds against Marvin Hagler.  The sinking feeling of watching someone go Fred Brown was setting in, made worse inside the final ten seconds as the referee halted the action to issue a caution to Warren for not fighting. 

Warren looked to a corner pleading with him to fight and his body tightened, the realization setting in.  He wasn’t protecting a lead.  He wasn’t going to win.  Four seconds to go and Warren gave chase…two and still chasing…one…and at zero he let go a right hand that landed on the face of Lee. 

It was too late.

Round One Grade: B-

In the post-fight interview, Warren was understandably upset and was correct in addressing a bad scoring situation.  “It just ain’t right.  I don’t get it.  I just don’t get the judges.  To work so hard for something they just can take away so easy.  They don’t understand.  We work hard just like the other countries do.”  The allusion to the idea that American fighters are scored unfairly in international competition was fair, and far from new.  Warren’s argument just would have been louder without those closing seconds.

Where Warren goes from here, after suffering his second straight Olympic first round exit, isn’t hard to predict.  There will be no third attempt.  He is, even after this defeat, an intriguing prospect.  Speed, great feet, accuracy…he will be a sound pro.  He will also have obstacles. 

Warren will likely compete between the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions as a professional.  They are weight classes dominated by Asian and Latino nationals and Asian and Latino markets.  History says he could struggle to get opportunities as he progresses.  Sure, there was once Jeff Chandler, but let’s talk more recent history. 

Mark Johnson had the talent of a Flyweight legend and couldn’t get the fights.  Tim Austin was an Olympic Medalist and couldn’t either.  Both captured major belts, but with twelve sitting between 112 and 118 lbs., that’s not really the game.  With a Gold Medal, Warren would have at least had more cache.  A professional career that s tarts as a redemption story isn’t all bad either.  We can only hope this sad ending can have a happier one built on top of it.

The immediate future will focus on the affects of this loss for Team USA and we’ll see that narrative play out in the days ahead.  Two of our best medal hopefuls, Warren and Gary Russell due to failure to make weight, are out and two fighters with varied prospects have yet to compete.  Much now rides on the shoulders of Deontay Wilder and Luis Yanez.

More on Team USA and “The Quest for Gold”

Round One

Day One Results  

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15327  

Middleweight Report Card – Shawn Estrada https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15332

Day Two Results

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15336

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15337

https://www.boxingscene.com/index.php?m=show&id=15339  

Light Welterweight Report Card – Javier Molina

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15341

Welterweight Report Card – Demetrius Andrade

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15348

Day Three Results

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15346

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15347  

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15357

Featherweight Report Card – Raynell Williams

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15349

Day Four Results

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15366

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15365

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15377

Lightweight Report Card

https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=15368

Up Next

Deontay Wilder (Heavyweight); Luis Yanez (Light Flyweight)

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Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com