Tweet
Everyone is hopping mad about the recent Dale Brown–O’Neill Bell decision and rightly so. Another decision that was just as bad was the Rodney Jones split decision victory over Terry Reid four days later. Jones dominated every aspect of the fight and yet one of the three judges managed to score the fight for Reid.
It is the Donelson theory that one of the major reasons that bad judging occurs is that judges love fighters who come forward, even if if the fighter is being ineffective. In 1905, Marvin Hart was rewarded a decision over Jack Johnson in controversial fashion. Newspapers reported that Hart was the aggressor but Johnson scored the more accurate punches and his defense deflected much of Hart's aggressiveness. The fact that Hart was constantly coming forward was what won him the decision.
In Oscar De La Hoya's second fight with Shane Mosley, De La Hoya out punched Mosley by nearly a two to one margin and even connected on more power punches. Mosley appeared confused throughout the first eight rounds of the fight. While the last three rounds were close and Mosley dominated the ninth, there was no doubt as to winner of the fight when the final bell was heard. De La Hoya lost a decision that he should have won and the reason he lost was becasue the judges at ringside preferred the more aggressive Mosley. In his fight with Felix Sturm, De La Hoya reversed his style and played the aggressor. He threw nearly 300 more punches than Sturm but Sturm was accurate on nearly 50% of his punches and much of De La Hoya's aggressiveness was ineffective as Sturm’s jab kept him at bay. Sturm even landed more punches despite being out punched. This time, De La Hoya was the recipient of ******* judging. (It didn’t hurt that this fight was a prelude to the De La Hoya-Hopkins fight, which was guaranteed to bring millions to Las Vegas.) [details]
It is the Donelson theory that one of the major reasons that bad judging occurs is that judges love fighters who come forward, even if if the fighter is being ineffective. In 1905, Marvin Hart was rewarded a decision over Jack Johnson in controversial fashion. Newspapers reported that Hart was the aggressor but Johnson scored the more accurate punches and his defense deflected much of Hart's aggressiveness. The fact that Hart was constantly coming forward was what won him the decision.
In Oscar De La Hoya's second fight with Shane Mosley, De La Hoya out punched Mosley by nearly a two to one margin and even connected on more power punches. Mosley appeared confused throughout the first eight rounds of the fight. While the last three rounds were close and Mosley dominated the ninth, there was no doubt as to winner of the fight when the final bell was heard. De La Hoya lost a decision that he should have won and the reason he lost was becasue the judges at ringside preferred the more aggressive Mosley. In his fight with Felix Sturm, De La Hoya reversed his style and played the aggressor. He threw nearly 300 more punches than Sturm but Sturm was accurate on nearly 50% of his punches and much of De La Hoya's aggressiveness was ineffective as Sturm’s jab kept him at bay. Sturm even landed more punches despite being out punched. This time, De La Hoya was the recipient of ******* judging. (It didn’t hurt that this fight was a prelude to the De La Hoya-Hopkins fight, which was guaranteed to bring millions to Las Vegas.) [details]