By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Lou DiBella didn’t have nearly as big a problem with the James DeGale-Badou Jack decision as Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather, whose company promotes Jack, claimed Jack suffered a second straight injustice after their 12-rounder was announced as a majority draw Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. DiBella, however, considered the draw an appropriate conclusion to a closely contested fight.
“No problem with the decision,” DiBella said. “I honestly thought that the knockdown in the last round gave it to Jack.”
DiBella, who also was involved in the promotion, referred to the knockdown Jack scored with just under two minutes left in the 12th round. London’s DeGale held, moved, punched and shoved his way to making it to the final bell.
Had Jack not scored that 12th-round knockdown, DeGale would’ve won by unanimous decision.
Judge Glenn Feldman credited DeGale (23-1-1, 14 KOs) with winning by the score of 114-112. The two other judges, Julie Lederman and Steve Weisfeld, scored the fight even (113-113).
“I thought Jack was way down and he really needed to climb back into the fight, and he did,” DiBella said. “I think both guys could be proud. Great night for boxing.
“It was sensational. They were two real friggin’ men. That’s what it’s supposed to be. DeGale’s balls in the last round is like a monument to who he is, you know?”
DiBella acknowledged, though, that it wouldn’t have been just if Sweden’s Jack (20-1-3, 12 KOs) lost a unanimous decision. Jack also settled for a majority draw in his last fight, a bout in which Jack seemingly did more than enough to beat Canada’s Lucian Bute on April 30 in Washington, D.C.
“I think that would’ve been tough,” DiBella said of Jack potentially losing a unanimous decision Saturday night. “I think you would’ve had problems if that happened.”
While DiBella believes the DeGale-Jack fight was extremely close, he also didn’t take issue with Mayweather’s emotional post-fight reaction.
“He’s a fighter,” DiBella said. “It is what it is. … I mean, it’s a combination of factors. He’s an emotional guy and he’s a fighter. You know what I mean? Honestly, there was no result in that fight that would ever have me crying robbery.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
