Lara and Rigondeaux: The Cuban Missile Crisis

Lara and Rigondeaux: The Cuban Missile Crisis by Armando "Old School" Aguilera Lately, it seems as though two cuban amatuer standouts (Erislandy Lara and Guillermo Rigondeaux) are getting the short end of the jab in the professional ranks. Either by 3 blind officials or by simply ignoring that fact to want to match him up with the best available opposition by his promoter Top Rank and HBO. Last July, the world witnessed a robbery by three inexperienced judges who all saw what the rest of the viewing public didnt... A points decision win for Paul Williams in a fight where Erislandy Lara totally outclassed him. Former world champion Roy Jones Jr. was outraged by the call and likened it to the decision against him at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, that is widely regarded as one of the worst boxing judgments in history! Shortly after the fight, The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board took the unusual step of suspending the three judges who officiated the bout. They claimed no corruption played in their decision, just horrible judgement. In a statement, Aaron M. Davis, commissioner of the NJSACB, said he was “unsatisfied with the scoring of the contest.” “This agency has placed all three judges on indefinite suspension,” Davis stated. “Further, all three judges will be required to undergo additional training prior to their return to professional boxing judging. Nevertheless, the decision has never been overturned or turned into at least a no contest. “The NJSACB does not have the legal authority, under these circumstances, to invalidate the official result,” Davis said in his statement. “This is due to the fact that all scoring is a matter of subjective judgment. I have a really hard time believing this inapt decision cannot be overturned by the same people who suspended their own appointed judges for making "inexperienced mistakes." In boxing, a loss on your record can mean millions in loss revenue. Just ask "The Money Team" how important it is to have an "0" on Mayweather's loss record. This past Saturday night unbeaten WBA super bantamweight world champion Guillermo "The Jackal" Rigondeaux was totally furious at his promoter Bob Arum, HBO, and current WBO super bantamweight title holder Nonito Donaire (also promoted by Arum) for totally avoiding the mere mention of fighting or unifying with the other belt holders of the division. Donaire and Rigondeaux have recently thrown jabs at each other through the media. Rigondeaux has currently been campaigning for a mega fight with Donaire for bragging rights on who's who in the bantamweight division, but the Philipino sensation has dismissed him on the basis of "He's not a big attraction yet and has a boring style." In order words, the risk isn't worth the rewards, so until then I will continue fighting less worthy opponents that can pad my record. Perhaps, the only way this fight can be made is if Rigondeaux steps in during the HBO interview, ala Shane Mosely, and asks Donaire for a fight in front of his adoring fans! New President of HBO's Sports, Ken Hershman, claims that he only wants to pay for the best fights available. "My job is to put the best boxing on HBO as possible," Hershman said. "I think it's pretty simple. And I always tell the promoters and people I work with: I'm not in the boxing business, I'm in the TV business. I leave that to them. And I think that lets them do what they do best and it lets us do what we do best. And I try to stay out of the politics as best I can. I try to stay out of the machinations on the chess boards and just try to buy good fights at the right price." If this is true, why are we getting Hopkins vs. Dawson 2? Why must we see Chavez Jr. fight 100 tomato cans before he finally fights Martinez? When will we see Nonito Donaire fight someone who can give him a run for his money? I'll tell you when... When HBO grows some balls and says these are the fights our paying customers truly want to see on our network! I can't believe that with such a huge budget (currently around $35 million) , HBO doesn't, for what ever reason, have the cojones to give us the best compelling fights possible! Sure your going to pay more money out, but you'll be able to afford it, if only you stop paying out millions to Donaire, Chavez Jr., Gary Russell Jr., Adrien Broner, and others who beat up glorified sparring partners or concuss opponents who have no business being in the same ring with them.