By Mark Vester
According to John Whisler of the San Antonio Express-News , referee Laurence Cole has been suspended for 6-months and fined $500 dollars for informing Juan Manuel Marquez that he was ahead in the scorecards during the eight round of his November 25 bout with Jimrex Jaca for the WBO interim featherweight title.
As most who saw the fight recall, Marquez sustained a deep cut on his forehead from a clash of heads, Cole informed Marquez in the eight round that if he quit, he would win because he was ahead on the scorecards. Marquez went on to stop Jaca in the ninth round.
Cole claims that he was not trying to tell Marquez the score, that he was more worried about the fact that Marquez does not speak English and may not have understood the rules. He says that he never intended to tell Marquez to quit, but just wanted to let him know that the fight was able to go to the scorecards. Cole also said that he did not know the scores, but it was clear that Marquez was ahead because he felt the fight was "one-sided."
The suspension was handed down on Friday, and runs from January 1 to July 1. During the first three months of the suspension, Cole, will not even be able to referee in Texas. The final three months will see Cole on probation, he will be able to referee in Texas, but will not be able to work championship fights, televised fights or fights that would determine eligibility for participation in a championship fight in Texas.
"I screwed up," said Laurence Cole. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed the TDLR (The Department of Licensing & Regulation). I never, ever tried to say I didn't make a mistake."
Cole is the son of state boxing coordinator Dickie Cole and has worked more than 40 world-title fights in his 17 years as a boxing referee.