RingSide Report

World News, Social Issues, Politics, Entertainment and Sports

Lou Eisen’s Top Ten Worst Decisions in 2014

LEBy Lou Eisen

10.) March 14, 2014 in Puerto Rico.
Danny Garcia MD over Mauricio Herrera

Mauricio Herrera has to be considered the hard luck fighter of 2014, having been jobbed in two fights over the past 12 months. On March 14, 2014 in Puerto Rico, Herrera easily beat Danny Garcia in a 12 round bout, winning the WBC and WBA Super light welterweight world titles. The media at ringside gave him at least eight of the 12 rounds they fought. Then the judges weighed in with their ridiculously biased scorecards. Judges Carlos Colon and Alejandro Rochin both scored the fight for . . . .Garcia, by the same ludicrous score of 116-112. Judge Gustavo Padilla inexplicably scored it 114-114, giving Garcia a shocking and undeserved majority decision win. Herrera won this fight by a wide margin, and, what’s more, Garcia knows it too!

9.) Dec. 13, 2014, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Jesse Benavidez UD Mauricio Herrera

As unbelievable as this may seem, Herrera just got screwed again recently against prospect Jose Benavidez. Herrera won nine of the 12 rounds they fought by a considerable score. He schooled Benavidez in every facet of the game. Yet Dave Moretti incredulously scored it 117-111 for Benavidez while judges Max DeLuca and Eric Cheek both had it 116-112 for Benavidez. Boxing just can’t seem to screw Herrera enough! This certainly looked to be a premeditated score to all those in attendance and those fans watching it at home on TV. This was just one more shameful episode for boxing this year.

8.) June 14, 2014 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn
Chris Algieri SD Ruslan Provodnikov

In a 12 round bout which came seriously close to ending in round one, unheralded Chris Algieri was somehow given a puzzling split decision victory over defending WBO world light welterweight champ, Ruslan Provodnikov. The Russian power puncher dropped Algieri to the canvas twice in the opening round, breaking Algieri’s right orbital bone and nose in the process. Algieri’s right eye was swelled shut by the end of round one. Provodnikov battered Algieri brutally for the rest of the fight. The “so-called” judges, awarded the fight to Algieri by a split decision! Incredibly, Don Trella and Tom Schreck both scored it for Algieri by a scored of 114-112 while Max DeLuca scored it for Provodnikov by a score of 117-112. Were these judges even watching the same fight at the same time?

7.) Nov. 29, 2014 at the CenturyLink Center, in Omaha, Neb.
Evgeny Gradovich D Jayson Velez

IBF world featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich was awarded an astonishing draw in a title defense against Jayson Velez, a fighter he dominated for at least nine of the 12 rounds they fought. Gradovich built up an insurmountable lead, or so most fight fans thought at the time. Then the egregiously inept and somewhat criminal scorecards were sadly and unceremoniously announced to a stunned crowd. Judge David Hudson scored it 115-113 for Velez. Judge Tom Schreck scored it 117-111 for Gradovitch. Then judge George Hill, astoundingly had it a 114-114 draw. The decision was therefore a very rare split draw. Unfortunately, the judges missed a large portion of the action, having had to take out their respective seeing-eye dogs for walks during the bout.

6.) Sept. 13, 2014 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Mickey Bey SD Miguel Vasquez

This was one of the worst judged fights in boxing in the last two decades. In what sure looked like an easy title defense, Bey was awarded an unjust and inaccurate split decision victory, which permanently destroyed the credibility of long-time incompetent judge Robert Hoyle. Judge Julie Lederman scored the bout 115-113 for Bey. Judge Hoyle handed in perhaps the worst scorecard of the last 25 years by scoring the bout (and this is not a typo), 119-111 for Bey. He gave the defending champion only one round! How is he allowed to continue judging fights after that debacle? Judge Adalaide Byrd scored it correctly, for Vazquez by a score of 115-113. Hoyle’s scorecard is an embarrassment to other judges, the fans, the fighters and the sport of boxing. Get rid of him now!!!!

5.) Dec. 13, 2014 at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Timothy Bradley Split Draw Diego Chaves

At 31 years of age, Timothy Bradley fought a truly magnificent fight, doing all of the things that make him an elite fighter and so difficult to fight. The challenger was Diego Chaves from Argentina who has yet to post a victory on American soil. His losing streak in the USA looked intact, after Bradley put on a magnificent display of ring generalship. The consensus was a Bradley unanimous decision victory. Then the scorecards came in. Judges Burt A. Clements got it right, posting a score of 115-113 for Bradley. Judge Julie Lederman continued her slide into ineptitude by scoring the bout 116-112 for Chaves. Judge Craig Metcalfe somehow scored it a draw at 114-114. Both Lederman and Metcalfe seriously need to be drug-tested for the terrible scorecards they handed in. The final outcome was a split draw, which is becoming more common in the fight game these as the level of judging continues to worsen at an alarming rate.

4.) July 12, 2014 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Canelo Alvarez SD Erislandy Lara

This was a truly great fight between two of the best young fighters in the world. Each round was very close and hotly contested. The fight could have gone either way. Canelo was awarded a split decision victory. Judge Jerry Roth scored it for Lara by a score of 115-113. Judge Dave Moretti scored the bout for Canelo by a score of 115-113. Both of those scores were very acceptable. However, what should have been a moment of very high drama was ruined when the typically incompetent Levi Martinez’s card was announced. Martinez must have been texting on his iPhone during the fight because he scored the bout 117-111 for Canelo! Judge Levi Martinez proved that he is in urgent need of a brain scan more than any fighter in the sport today. Martinez’s scorecard was so disgusting it gave some media members concussions, derived from banging their collective heads against the wall repeatedly with great ferocity.

3.) April 12, 2014 at the Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Jesse Vargas UD Khabib Allakhverdiev

The fight between the rising young junior welterweight star Jesse Vargas and the talented undefeated southpaw Russian, Khabib Allakhverdiev highlighted perfectly one of the major problems facing boxers today. Fighters with major promotional power behind them, rarely if ever lose big fights because it would adversely affect their career arcs. Vargas has an engaging style, lives in Vegas and has an enormous fan base. In the eyes of all those who saw this fight, the gifted and experienced 32 year-old Russian southpaw defeated Vargas decisively. Yes, Vargas did some major damage to both of Allakhverdiev’s eyes, especially his right eye, which began to close in round three. Vargas also butted his Russian foe numerous times without a point ever being taken away.

That Vargas was awarded a unanimous decision was an insult to Allakhverdiev, the sport of boxing, its fans, and especially to competent, capable judges as well. It was a close fight to be sure but Allakhverdiev earned a unanimous decision win. The worst scorecard of the fight, if not the entire year belonged to, the perennially inept Robert Hoyle, who scored the fight, get this, 117-111 in favor of Vargas. Hoyle should never be allowed to judge another pro fight again. Judges like Hoyle need to be drug tested by VADA on a daily basis, as there is no other explanation for such a miserable scorecard that was way, way off-base.

2.) April 19th, 2014 at the DC Armory in Washington
Bernard Hopkins SD Beibut Shumenov

The WBA light-heavyweight world title fight between the legendary Bernard Hopkins and Beibut Shumenov proved to be more exciting than most people thought it would be. The future unanimous first ballot Hall of Fame inductee won every round of the fight by the widest of margins. Essentially, he embarrassed Shumenov and, even worse, he made him look like a novice amateur fighter. Hopkins dropped and hurt Shumenov in round 11 with a short, sharp counter hook flush on the chin. Shumenov fell like he’d been shot.

It was a foregone conclusion that Hopkins won a wide unanimous decision. Then the scores were read. Judges Jerry Roth and Dave Moretti scored the bout correctly, 116-111 for Hopkins. Judge Gustavo Padilla’s scorecard left everyone in a state of utter incredulity. Padilla scored the fight 114-113 for Shumenov! What an imbecile! Either Padilla did not see the fight at all or he was deliberately paid off prior to the fight. There can be no other excuses for such an appallingly bad scorecard. Padilla needs to be permanently banned from pro boxing. I would not trust him to judge a fart at a bean-eating contest.

1.) Dec. 11, 2014 , Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, Cali.
Oscar Escandon SD Tyson Cave

It is likely that most fight fans have already correctly guessed the number one spot for the worst judged fight of the year for 2014. Of course the winner of this dubious award goes to the two incompetent numbskulls that cheated Canadian Tyson Cave out of a well-deserved victory and an interim world title in his fight with Oscar Escandon. The media consensus by an overwhelming majority had Cave winning the fight, by a margin of at least 10 rounds to two. The fantastically incompetent judging of Raul Caiz Jr. and Tony Crebs was so egregious, that ESPN broadcaster Teddy Atlas unleashed a furious, accurate, truth-filled tirade (and thank God he did!) against another terrible decision that will adversely affect the career of Cave and lose pro boxing yet even more credibility and fans. Caiz Jr. and Crebs had a Merry Christmas while Cave spent his holiday time trying to figure out how to divide a lump of coal five ways.

Leave a Reply