By Keith Terceira
The split decision rendered in Rochester N.Y. last Thursday, has caused a uproar in Maximo Cuevas’ camp, this time out though it is not a judging issue. Trainer Pete Brodsky confirmed with BoxingScene in an exclusive interview that protests have been lodged by phone and will be followed tomorrow in writing to both the WBC and to the New York State Athletic Commission that rules were violated in the tenth and final round of the WBC Intercontinental Mundo Hispano Welterweight title bout by the referee and commission officials at ringside.
Brodsky contends that in the tenth and final round Francisco Figueroa took a knee, rolled over on his back and should have been counted out, instead the referee assisted Figueroa to a neutral corner and allowed a full 30 seconds to expire from the clock before stopping time and then assisted Francisco to his own corner for the doctor to exam him.
Cuevas spoke to me about the confusing final round where it seemed that Figueroa was given special treatment by the referee. We will bring you his views this evening.
In an early morning interview Pete lays out the protest that may go to a judge outside of boxing.
Peter you have told me that you would be lodging a protest with the WBC.
Brodsky: I have already placed the call and am awaiting a return call.
Do you intend to lodge a complaint when the WBC contacts you?
Brodsky: Absolutely!
Have you lodged a complaint with the New York Athletic Commission?
Brodsky: I am writing it up today and faxing it in the morning. Verbally I have already lodged a protest.
Pete, can you give us the grounds of your protest and tell us what occurred in the tenth round.
Brodsky; It was a hard fought fight number one. It was a demanding fight that caused Figueroa to go to the hospital. Francisco was very banged up. To the extent that Francisco was not allowed to fly home and his people had to rent a car and drive him. Of coarse it was a tough bout for Cuevas as well.
What happened was the fight was back and forth, in the seventh and eighth round Frankie may have thought he was behind so he came out tough against Maximo, and he had a couple of good rounds. In the ninth round Cuevas kicked it up pretty heavy and put on a lot of pressure, it looked like Francisco was getting very tired. Between the ninth and tenth I told Cuevas to go in and try and take him out, Figueroa didn’t have anything left.
They started boxing in the tenth and midway through the round Cuevas didn’t connect fully on a punch and Francisco’s punch missed, Figueroa took one or two steps to the side of Cuevas then all of a sudden, he kind of stumbled and he fell to his knee. He took a knee for maybe 4-5 seconds then he rolled over to his back. There he was lying on his back .
Boxingscene; When he took a knee of course the referee began counting correct?
Brodsky: No, I have to see the tape but it appeared to me that the referee ran over and just looked at him. He took a knee then rolled over on his back.
BoxingScene: Of course when he went to his back the referee started a count.
Brodsky: I would assume so but I never saw a count started. I am waiting for the tape. If it was a slip then he should have waved things off and start the count, wipe off the fighters gloves then start the action. If the fighter gets up then he would terminate the count wipe the gloves and start the action. I want to make it clear that this is important but not as important as the referee not doing his job. Remember Frankie went to the hospital after the fight and he was urinating blood. The next day he was so bruised and beaten he couldn’t even get on a plane. They rented a car to drive him home. He stayed in the hospital overnight.
I like Francisco and I was worried when I learned that he was hospitalized. You could see that Frankie was all in. He couldn’t fight anymore. Maybe he did hurt his ankle as he says but whether he did or he didn’t he couldn’t continue at that point. The referee should have administered the count, the timekeeper should have stopped the clock.
BoxingScene; How long do you think went by before the clock was stopped?
Brodsky; I would have to say at least 30 seconds went by before the referee signaled time to the time-keeper. I’ll tell you what happened.
Maybe the tape will prove me wrong but this is the way I saw it and others have confirmed. When Francisco went down and rolled over, I got up and started screaming and pounding on the canvas saying” Start the Count“. In fact one of the inspectors got up and grabbed me. I was so upset at what I was seeing I told him to get off me. I pulled my arm away and started screaming again at the referee and at the commissioner. The commissioner is across the ring, the referee is just standing over the guy, talking to him. I know the rules so I’m yelling over and over for him to start the count.
Anyway he is now on his back and the ref isn’t counting, now when a guy is down for whatever reason whether its an ankle or it’s from a legal blow the ref has to start the count. If you can’t continue it’s a tko or a ko unless from a illegal blow.
Once again when he fell it had nothing to do with Cuevas, he didn’t push him, if anything he got hit a legal blow before he fell.
The referee and the NY athletic commission were negligent that they did not administer the count to a fallen fighter. It doesn’t matter if he was knocked down from a punch or was to tired to continue.
Then after several seconds the referee helps Figueroa up and walks him to the neutral corner.
He leaves the fighter there almost falling through the ropes, and at that time he signals to the time keeper to stop time. Meanwhile several more seconds have gone by. That is time where if Francisco had gotten up Cuevas wouldn’t have knocked him out. At that point Francisco would have gotten hurt had he continued.
In one way the referee through his mistake really helped protect the fighters safety. It was good that the fighter didn’t get seriously injured but the actions created and injustice for Maximo. Further more the referee should have only helped Francisco to his feet after stopping the bout completely. They violated the rules totally.
BoxinScene; After the referee helped Figueroa to the neutral corner what occurred.
Brodsky: He then took Figueroa over to his own corner and the doctor came up and started looking at him. After several seconds they started action again. What confuses me is if Francisco hurt is ankle as he says why didn’t the doctor once refer to his ankle or look at it. Instead he was looking him in the face asking him if he was ok to continue. By this time there is only a few seconds left in the fight and Frankie comes out and ties up Maximo the fight is over.
The real contention is not whether the referee helped Francisco from one corner to the other but that Figueroa shouldn’t have been allowed to get off the canvas. He should have been counted out.
BoxingScene: Peter how much time went by in your opinion from the knee to the start of action.
Brodsky: I would say at least a full minute. That gave Figueroa enough time to regroup and finish. I just don’t get it. You either disqualify Cuevas for a foul if there was an illegal blow, which you can’t do because Cuevas didn’t do anything wrong, or you count him out because he is beaten to the point of exhaustion or he is hurt and then counted out by way of TKO. There is no other rules or options that allow for what happened.
BoxingScene: What do you hope to accomplished from your protest?
Brodsky; They then went ahead and announced the winner on a split decision which I totally disagree with. I am not arguing that point, I am asking them to change that decision, what I am asking is that they look at the situation watch the tape, examine the facts , and displace their ruling with the correct one and that is Maximo winning by at the worst a TKO. That is the proper ruling. There is no other possibility if you follow the rules of boxing.
BoxingScene; If you had the thirty seconds back that the referee took by not stopping the clock do you feel that Cuevas would have stopped him.
Brodsky; Definitely, that period of time was enough to give him time to get his head together.
BoxingScene: Pete, I am going to follow this up with all parties involved and I will be getting together tonight with Maximo. I thank you for your time and will be speaking with you in the coming days.
Brodsky; Thanks Keith, this kid Cuevas is a story in itself, Its wrong to take this from a guy that two years ago was living in a shelter with his wife and 5 kids. Rather than him go on welfare or go to crime, he gets a job, works and boxes his way out of a jamb. Gives his heart in training and now loses faith in a system that is designed to protect the fighter. I feel bad for Maximo and other fighters that have to face this kind of letdown.
