By Tom Donelson
Everyone is hopping mad about the recent Dale Brown–O’Neill Bell decision and rightly so. Another decision that was just as bad was the Rodney Jones split decision victory over Teddy Reid four days later. Jones dominated every aspect of the fight and yet one of the three judges managed to score the fight for Reid.
It is the Donelson theory that one of the major reasons that bad judging occurs is that judges love fighters who come forward, even if if the fighter is being ineffective. In 1905, Marvin Hart was rewarded a decision over Jack Johnson in controversial fashion. Newspapers reported that Hart was the aggressor but Johnson scored the more accurate punches and his defense deflected much of Hart's aggressiveness. The fact that Hart was constantly coming forward was what won him the decision.
In Oscar De La Hoya's second fight with Shane Mosley, De La Hoya out punched Mosley by nearly a two to one margin and even connected on more power punches. Mosley appeared confused throughout the first eight rounds of the fight. While the last three rounds were close and Mosley dominated the ninth, there was no doubt as to winner of the fight when the final bell was heard. De La Hoya lost a decision that he should have won and the reason he lost was becasue the judges at ringside preferred the more aggressive Mosley. In his fight with Felix Sturm, De La Hoya reversed his style and played the aggressor. He threw nearly 300 more punches than Sturm but Sturm was accurate on nearly 50% of his punches and much of De La Hoya's aggressiveness was ineffective as Sturm’s jab kept him at bay. Sturm even landed more punches despite being out punched. This time, De La Hoya was the recipient of liberal judging. (It didn’t hurt that this fight was a prelude to the De La Hoya-Hopkins fight, which was guaranteed to bring millions to Las Vegas.)
Throughout the recent cruiserweight championship fight, Bell pursued and Brown boxed. There were times that Bell's legs were rubber and he was one punch away from losing his crown in the third round. Yet, the judges gave Bell the benefit of the doubt by awarding him the decision. This type of bias is hurting boxing.
There is more to boxing than pursuing and slugging, boxing is an art form and a science. Boxing is as much an art of defense as offense. Avoiding getting hit is as much a part of the sport as accurate punching.
The number of punches thrown is not what is important, what is important is the accuracy and impact of those punches. I remembered watching a Rocky Juarez fight and Juarez’s opponent landed nearly double of the punches but Juarez's punches had more impact. It was like watching a BB gun go up against a shotgun. Every punch that Juarez landed shook his opponent. The judges in this case ignored the popgun and gave the credit, correctly, to the more meaningful strikes.
Bad decisions have been part of boxing. Jersey Joe Walcott knocked Joe Louis down twice in their first fight and dominated the fight in every aspect but one- the judges’ scorecard. Even Joe Louis thought he lost and there was no fighter more surprised than Louis when the decision was announced. He was even more shocked than Jersey Joe.
Then there was the first Holyfield-Lewis fight. This decision ranks up there in the top three of the worst decisions in boxing history. Despite being completely dominated by Lewis, Holyfield received a draw. It was as if two of the three judges were watching a completely different fight or simply didn’t pay attention.
My explanation does not make the Brown-Bell decision any more palatable but hopefully it does shed some light on what some judges think when they score a fight. Too often, many judges just love to see a fighter move forward, even if he is getting killed. Willie Pep was one of the sport’s greatest boxers. Boxing legend has it that Pep was so great that he once swept a round on the scorecards despite not throwing a single punch. Pep's opponent spent the entire round throwing punches at air as Pep maneuvered masterfully throughout the ring. No punches landed on the masterful boxer. There were judges who just love the artist in the ring and appreciate all aspect of the boxing game. Something that some modern judges should remember, boxing is more than throwing punches; it is artistry in motion and the artist should be credited for his craft within the ropes.
