By Ryan Songalia
In summarization, Tom Tsatas is angry.
Fres Oquendo, the only client Tsatas manages, and Tom are no stranger to bizarre judging. Throughout Oquendo's career, he has played second fiddle to a number of bigger names, often giving as good as he's gotten, usually better. That hasn't always equated to victory, however.
On December 13 at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, CA, most people in attendance felt Oquendo won the majority of the rounds. On a Goossen-Tutor promoted card, the house fighter James Toney won a split-decision.
Tsatas says he has had enough.
"This has gotta stop," Tsatas says. "This happens over and over. Whatever I can possibly do to get this out in the open, enough is enough.
"It's Dan Goossen's show in California, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. It was wrong. I can see a home court advantage if it was extremely close but it wasn't. James couldn't even keep his hands up at the end."
So irritated is Tsatas that he released a statement promising legal action against "any promoters, venues, television networks and Athletic commissions which may have contributed to any damages Mr. Oquendo has suffered." He also mentions judges David Mendoza and Marty Denkin, as well as referee Lou Moret.
"I do have a lawyer and we're going to try to appeal the decision. Do I think they're going to overturn it? Probably not. Based on the fact that I don't think Fres hit him in the back of the head, that point, that might be a chance to overturn it."
Tsatas has even extended an invitation to Toney's camp for a rematch with favorable circumstances. "I offered Goossen a fight, I got on the phone and told him we'll fight him for free anywhere except for California. If Fres does not knock Toney out, we'll give you all of our money.
"He would not do it."
Dan Goossen, who once promoted Oquendo under the now-defunct America Presents promotional banner, contends that there is no public demand for a rematch.
"Unfortunately," Goossen says, "it's one of those fights that I don't believe anybody would want to see again. As a promoter, I was unhappy with it. The styles they both have are completely abrasive of one another. It just wasn't a good fight fans fight.
"All I can say is that at the post-fight press conference, I asked three ringside media guys what their scores were. One had it one point for Oquendo, one had it a draw and the one had it by one point for Toney. I'm sure there are good arguments on why Fres should have won and good arguments on why James won.
"I would never want to deprive a fighter of having his hand raised if he won a fight fairly."
Goossen says he is not concerned with any impending litigation.
"They've got all of the vehicles they have to pursue their fighter's rights and I certainly do not deprive them of that."
This is not the first time Oquendo has drawn the short stick. Most people felt Oquendo deserved the decision in his losses to Chris Byrd and Evander Holyfield. Had Oquendo gotten those decisions, his legacy would be seen very differently than what it is now.
"For some reason, people had this love affair with Chris Byrd," Tsatas explains. "He dropped Maurice Harris a few times and was behind on the cards, he had to knock him out. The Holyfield fight was down in Texas and the promoters wanted him to win because there's more money in him.
"That turned against him because the fix was in in Switzerland."
But Tsatas sees this as something deeper. Tsatas is by trade a restaurateur - it was at one of his establishments where he first met Oquendo's acquaintance. He says that that the increase in questionable decisions has meant a decrease in the interest in boxing.
"I can hold 1,000 people in my bar and nobody shows up for the boxing matches anymore. David Diaz is from Chicago, I had like ten people for his fight. The only fights people have shown up for is [Oscar] de la Hoya-[Floyd] Mayweather and the [Manny] Pacquiao fight. Not for Jermain Taylor, not Kelly Pavlik, a white kid from the Midwest.
"UFC, I fill up and I have to turn people away. They all tell me the same thing, 'boxing is a joke.' People used to love boxing, 100,000 people used to be packed into arenas. Not that these guys are the greatest fighters of all time but you have James Toney and Fres Oquendo and you have an empty arena in the middle of the desert."
"We can sit here and say that a blown football call is bad for the sport," Goossen says. "Nothing is ever good for the sport if you think your guy won when he lost. The bottom line is that boxing has trained individuals who judge a fight.
"With the styles that these two have, it's a tough fight to judge, I'll be the first to admit that. It's not like these are two guys going toe-to-toe hauling off on each other."
Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You can reach him at songaliaboxing@aol.com .