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August 24, 6:15 PMHouston Boxing ExaminerMarv Dumon
Houston, TX - The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation covers rules for combative sports to include boxing. These rules appear to warrant a review due to changes in the sport over the last few decades. The globalization of boxing means that out-of-state and foreign fighters now frequently fight in the state of Texas.
Administrative Rule 61.40 "Responsibilities of the Promoter" states:
"A Promoter shall . . .
(9) Immediately after the event, compensate the ringside physicians, timekeepers, judges, referees and contestants. Payment of percentage contracts shall be made when the amount can be determined. Payments that do not require additional accounting or auditing, shall be made in the presence of an authorized Department representative."
What I am addressing here is systemic controls.
In the mid-2000s, I worked as a Risk Management Consultant for a Fortune 500 company, advising on financial and management controls and risk management practices.
Assessment:
1. If you're the promoter handing a check, you are in an influencing position. Most employees or contractors do not want to bite the hand that fed them, consciously or subconsciously. Paulie Malignaggi vehemently opposed two of the judges, both of which were involved in the controverial Juarez vs. John decision, which scored a favorable draw for hometown native Rocky Juarez.
Solution: The Licensing and Regulation Agency should charge a fee to the promoters, and then the agency gets to provide compensation directly to the officials whose judgment have a direct bearing on outcome: referee, judges, and ringside doctors. When promoters deal directly with officials, and money is exchanged, that is risky behavior. That may not necessarily be applicable to this fight, but when you have hundreds of transactions a year like this, all throughout the sport, checks and balances are needed.
2. Compensation needs to be handed out before the decision. That negates the "pleasing the master" bias. There are many ways to influence an employee and contractor. One way is to give them a hard time in getting their compensation, such as using delays or frustrating bureaucratic hurdles.
Solution: Compensate before, not after.
3. Three Texas judges officiating the fight in any Texas city should be made an obsolete practice for fights with an anticipated attendance of over 2,000 fans. Boxing is global now. The idea and perception of a hometown bias, whether or not it materializes, is a concept that needs to be eliminated from boxing if the sport is to continue to thrive. Fans are picky, and have other options for entertainment. The most successful sports - golf, basketball, etc. - have utmost visibility because they have utmost credibility. Their systems and structures have also kept up with the times. Unfortunately, boxing has remnants of archaic sysmes and processes that go against the grain of maintream observers. Those observers are the customers. Customer preferences should dictate the product specifications they are buying.
Solution: For fights with an expected draw of over 2,000 officials cannot come from, or have significant roots, in that state. I'll leave the refinement details for officials. That's their job. They should do their jobs. They get regular paychecks from it. Wake up and read the rules that you're supposed to be administering, especially to a sport where participants regularly get hurt or hussled.
Houston, TX - The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation covers rules for combative sports to include boxing. These rules appear to warrant a review due to changes in the sport over the last few decades. The globalization of boxing means that out-of-state and foreign fighters now frequently fight in the state of Texas.
Administrative Rule 61.40 "Responsibilities of the Promoter" states:
"A Promoter shall . . .
(9) Immediately after the event, compensate the ringside physicians, timekeepers, judges, referees and contestants. Payment of percentage contracts shall be made when the amount can be determined. Payments that do not require additional accounting or auditing, shall be made in the presence of an authorized Department representative."
What I am addressing here is systemic controls.
In the mid-2000s, I worked as a Risk Management Consultant for a Fortune 500 company, advising on financial and management controls and risk management practices.
Assessment:
1. If you're the promoter handing a check, you are in an influencing position. Most employees or contractors do not want to bite the hand that fed them, consciously or subconsciously. Paulie Malignaggi vehemently opposed two of the judges, both of which were involved in the controverial Juarez vs. John decision, which scored a favorable draw for hometown native Rocky Juarez.
Solution: The Licensing and Regulation Agency should charge a fee to the promoters, and then the agency gets to provide compensation directly to the officials whose judgment have a direct bearing on outcome: referee, judges, and ringside doctors. When promoters deal directly with officials, and money is exchanged, that is risky behavior. That may not necessarily be applicable to this fight, but when you have hundreds of transactions a year like this, all throughout the sport, checks and balances are needed.
2. Compensation needs to be handed out before the decision. That negates the "pleasing the master" bias. There are many ways to influence an employee and contractor. One way is to give them a hard time in getting their compensation, such as using delays or frustrating bureaucratic hurdles.
Solution: Compensate before, not after.
3. Three Texas judges officiating the fight in any Texas city should be made an obsolete practice for fights with an anticipated attendance of over 2,000 fans. Boxing is global now. The idea and perception of a hometown bias, whether or not it materializes, is a concept that needs to be eliminated from boxing if the sport is to continue to thrive. Fans are picky, and have other options for entertainment. The most successful sports - golf, basketball, etc. - have utmost visibility because they have utmost credibility. Their systems and structures have also kept up with the times. Unfortunately, boxing has remnants of archaic sysmes and processes that go against the grain of maintream observers. Those observers are the customers. Customer preferences should dictate the product specifications they are buying.
Solution: For fights with an expected draw of over 2,000 officials cannot come from, or have significant roots, in that state. I'll leave the refinement details for officials. That's their job. They should do their jobs. They get regular paychecks from it. Wake up and read the rules that you're supposed to be administering, especially to a sport where participants regularly get hurt or hussled.
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