Does There NEED to be a Boxing Judging Reformation Act?
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By “The Aficionado” Alan J. Kindred
In boxing there are a set number of rounds in a contest. No longer are there fights to the finish, as there were in the early days of pugilism. For a long time the matches were scored by rounds. Fifteen round fights were popular for a long time, which meant, win eight rounds and the fight was yours. Then they accurately considered the ten-point must system to allow extra points for knockdowns and point deductions for fouls. They reduced fifteen rounds to twelve rounds which turned odd even and increased the probability of the drawn match.
Judging a boxing match really isn’t rocket science. Each round is a separate fight within itself and there is a winner or it is too close to call making a drawn round. Some rounds are easier than others to score of course. The most debatable round is the one that is close to being even, or drawn. Do you give the round to someone or is it inconclusive. The way the judges are taught now is to give the round one way or the other to someone. It seems no even rounds are allowed, which leave the judges to a mental coin toss. I score even rounds if it is even, regardless of what Harold Letterman, or Duane Ford thinks is the correct way. I think a mental coin toss is bull crap. A man either did enough to win the round or he didn’t. I encourage the even round if that is what it is, because in a twelve round fight that could determine a winner instead of a draw. 6-6 by normal standards is now 6-5-1 in a decisive bout. There could be three even rounds in a fight, it all depends, but the fact that this has been frowned upon makes scoring a fight much more difficult, if someone is afraid to score an even round.
With the unusually large number of controversially scored fights in the last few years, I think boxing is due for a judging reformation, an overhaul of changes implemented to eradicate these ridiculous decisions. I have a number of key points that I believe would help this boxing judging reformation.
Point 1: I don’t mean to disrespect Duane Ford; I don’t know him as a man, but as a boxing judge I tend to disagree quite often with him, and I’m not the only one. The fact that he is teaching other judges how to score a fight could be a problem within itself. If the teacher is teaching other judges to be bad judges like they are, that is a problem.
Point 2: I think using three judges to score a fight is no longer enough. I think there should be many more judges involved to get a larger consensus. When there are just three judges, corruption can influence much, much easier. We all know this has happened before, with judges being bought off. I’m not saying that goes on every fight, but if you have more judges it is harder to have corruption influence the fights outcome. I’d have at least seven judges, especially in high profile bouts.
Point 3: Scoring a fight from ringside isn’t the same as viewing it on a monitor. The monitor view gives a much closer look at the fight. You can tell if a punch really landed or not, more often than being ten feet from the ring viewing the action through ropes and at the wrong angle. I believe the judges should watch monitors to improve their vision. Very often judges are elderly and do we even know if their vision is good, or being tested? I know watching a fight from one angle to the next can change the perspective of the fight, so each judge would be randomly selected to watch certain live camera feeds. This way judges don’t even necessarily have to be ringside. You could have a large number of judges this way, which avoids corruption, adds a much larger consensus, and ultimately largely eradicates the horrendous decisions often associated with boxing.
Point 4: I don’t mean to harp on how boxing judges have been told to treat even rounds, but I feel it is necessary. I know you have at times watched a round were neither guy did much of anything and thought who should get credit for that round? The answer can be simple. Neither guy did enough to earn it, 10-10! Another situation could be like this, both guys are blasting each other throughout an action packed round, but each did as well as the other how do I score it? Again it’s simple, if one guy didn’t do enough to separate himself as the dominate guy in the round it is an even one. This idea will help people maintain a level of balance. Very often a judge will give an even round to the fighter he favors on the subconscious level, or the house fighter gets these rounds. There is nothing wrong with even rounds if that is what they are. Teddy Atlas is one of the few guys I see employ this.
Point 5: There really needs to be a scoring appeals process, especially for the way things are now, with there only being three judges. I’m pretty certain if there was an appeals process the most controversial fights in the past few years would have been over turned and justice would have been served, and the integrity of the sport of boxing would have been saved from a few horrible black eyes.
I know my ideas for The Boxing Judging Reformation Act of 2015, aren’t perfect and perhaps they may just stir up more questions. I do think some of my ideas are good, especially having more than three judges. The idea of scoring an even round occasionally will help keep a score more accurate. The idea of testing the eyes of judges, and using monitors will help make sure the fight is viewed at optimal level. The appeals process is a tricky one because who will decide who controls the appeal? As long as it is a large number of people I think they will have a good consensus, and come to the right conclusion. Still it will be a far from perfect system, but I think these steps will make it better than it is now.
Another problem is where will my message even go? I know many of us fans or boxing writers/media don’t have the power to make these changes. I hope my message reaches the state athletic commissions, the fighters, and the promoters. I know that not every promoter is corrupt, and self-serving. I know some of them love the sport, and realize that the selfish ways of some promoters are just hurting everyone in the sport in the long run, and want to make changes for the betterment of the sport. Those are the people I want to reach with my ideas, so that bad decisions can become a thing of the past. I am fortunate that I can get this message out on RSR “The Heart of Boxing”, I just hope it reaches those who can implement the right changes.
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