{"id":106312,"date":"2021-08-23T20:41:35","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T01:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=106312"},"modified":"2021-08-23T20:48:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T01:48:42","slug":"randys-ringside-on-ringside-report-heres-the-score","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=106312","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Randy&#8217;s Ringside On Ringside Report: Here\u2019s the Score"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1545664804358300\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1545664804358300\" data-ad-slot=\"8616314829\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=106312\" rel=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=106312\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-83463 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Randy-RSR-186x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"186\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Randy-RSR-186x300.jpg 186w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Randy-RSR-768x1237.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Randy-RSR-636x1024.jpg 636w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Randy-RSR.jpg 1030w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 186px) 100vw, 186px\" \/><\/a>By Randy \u201cThe Commish\u201d Gordon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In my decades in boxing, I have seen some pretty awful decisions rendered. Some I\u2019ve seen from ringside. Others I\u2019ve watched on television. I\u2019m not talking about close decisions in competitive fights. I\u2019m talking about awful decisions, ones which reek of either incompetence or worse, dishonesty. I\u2019ve seen both. Several times!<\/p>\n<p>I was ringside in Philadelphia\u2019s Spectrum on November 30, 1976, when undefeated challenger Tyrone Everett faced WBC Jr. Lightweight Champion Alfredo Escalera. <!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Escalera had been the champion for 16 months, but had made six successful defenses in that time.<\/p>\n<p>Everett was the slick, speedy southpaw from Philly, unbeaten in 34 fights. He was Pernell Whitaker before the boxing world was ever gifted by \u201cSweet Pea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his 34 victories, Everett had s18 knockouts. His decision victories were mostly one-sided. In many of them, he didn\u2019t just win nearly every round of every fight. He won virtually every second of every round.<\/p>\n<p>For Everett\u2019s fight against Escalera, future Hall-of-Famer J. Russell Peltz was the promoter.<\/p>\n<p>For the Escalera-Everett fight, I sat next to Harold Lederman, then an up-coming judge from New York. We had taken the Amtrak from New York City to Philadelphia. Riding with us on the train was Malcolm \u201cFlash\u201d Gordon, the controversial, rebellious and outrageous publisher of \u201cTonight\u2019s Boxing Program,\u201d the weekly underground newsletter which was a must read for boxing fans and a double-must-read for boxing insiders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTonight is Everett\u2019s night,\u201d said Flash on the ride down. \u201cNobody can deal with Everett\u2019s southpaw style and speed. Escalera won\u2019t be able to deal with it, either. Everett will win a decision\u2014an easy decision!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Flash was right. The 15 rounds flew by. After five, I had it a shutout for Everett. After 10, I already had Everett winning the title. In the 13th round, a clash of heads left Everett with a nasty gash on his upper forehead. It was a gash which bled profusely. However, it didn\u2019t affect Everett\u2019s speed, timing and ability to control Escalera. At the final bell, I turned to Harold Lederman and said, \u201cWe\u2019ve got a new champion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He asked, \u201cHow\u2019d you score it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had it 12-3 in rounds (147-138) How\u2019d you see it, Harold?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost the same, 146-139 (11-4),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>A quick check with nearby reporters was the same: A wide, decisive victory for Everett. Then came the decision.<\/p>\n<p>Scoring referee Ray Solis of Mexico had it 148-146 for Everett (which, when taken round-by-round, translated to four rounds for Everett, two for Escalera and a ludicrous NINE rounds even!).<br \/>\n\u201cToo close,\u201d I thought. \u201cEverett won it much wider than that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then came the other two scores. Judge Wiso Fernandez of Puerto Rico had it 146-143 and American judge Lou Tress had it 145-143\u2014both for Escalera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWHAT! ARE YOU KIDDING!!??\u201d is what Harold Lederman yelled. I was stunned. The crowd booed. I looked over at Flash Gordon. He had his hands to his head.<\/p>\n<p>On the train ride back to New York City, Flash, Harold and I sounded like a broken record. We kept repeating, \u201cThat was the worst decision I have ever seen. That decision was horrible. That decision had to have been fixed.\u201d As it turned out, it was fixed.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Lou Tress, of Philadelphia, was out of the arena before the decision was announced.<\/p>\n<p>The Spectrum\u2019s President of boxing and Everett\u2019s promoter, future Hall-of-Famer J. Russell Peltz, was irate, swearing to make sure Tress never officiated one of his fights again. Peltz didn\u2019t have to stick to his promise, as Tress walked away from the sport after his alltime classic scoring fiasco.<\/p>\n<p>Upon further examination of Tress\u2019 scorecard, we see it was more than just a 145-143 score for Escalera. In rounds, Tress had given seven to Escalera, five to Everett, and called three even.<br \/>\nAs for Fernandez (whose 146-143 card translated to 7-4-4 for Escalera), he returned to Puerto Rico a hero, and went on to judge many other major title fights until his retirement in1996.<br \/>\nMost controversial decisions occur in close, competitive fights, where more rounds than not are easier for a judge to call even than for him\/her to choose a winner. As most commissioners and commissions frown on even rounds, judges often struggle to find a winner in a round which has been 180 seconds of a two-sided contest. As judges have less than one minute to mark their scorecard, they obsess\u2014and sometimes stress\u2014over who they should give the round to. In those closest of rounds, you can watch a judge internally struggling over who to give a \u201c10\u201d to and who should get the \u201c9.\u201d In those kinds of rounds, you\u2019ll often see two judges leaning one way, while the third judge leans the other way. In a fight with many of those kind of rounds, you will have a disparity in scoring. After watching one of those fights, expect a Split Decision or Majority Decision.<\/p>\n<p>In Everett-Escalera, there were few such rounds. Everett, in a magnificent display of boxing artistry, made the scoring easy. This wasn\u2019t a Split Decision win for Escalera. It was a Unanimous Decision win for Everett. All of the judges saw that. However, only one called it for Everett.<\/p>\n<p>One headed back to Puerto Rico. The other headed into the darkness of the Philadelphia night, never to judge again. About him, Philadelphia mobster \u201cBlinky\u201d Palermo said, when asked about Tress\u2019 boxing morality, replied, \u201cHe can be bought for a cup of coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following the fight, Tress took his cup of coffee and went home.<\/p>\n<p>No, Alfredo Escalera did not beat Tyrone Everett that night. In his post-fight comments he said he did, but he knows the score. He knows he didn\u2019t beat Everett.<\/p>\n<p>Nor did Gabriel Maestre beat Mykal Fox.<\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t beat him by Ms. Rizzo\u2019s absurd 117-110 score and he didn\u2019t beat him by the other two scores, 114-113 (David Singh) and 115-113 (John Mariano), either. Everybody\u2014outside of the fight\u2019s three judges\u2014knew who really won, or, at least, deserved to win.<\/p>\n<p>Why do these kind of decisions happen all too frequently? I\u2019ll tell you why. It\u2019s not for the two reasons you think:<\/p>\n<p>1. Incompetence<br \/>\n2. Corruption\/Dishonesty<br \/>\nThere are two other reasons. Two very real reasons:<br \/>\n1. Weak U.S. commissions<br \/>\n2. Sanctioning body favoritism<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how it works. A state commission is informed by the promoter that he\u2019d like to bring a title fight to the state. The paperwork is done. The licensing is completed. The medicals and pre-fight testing is done. The site logistics are worked out. Then comes the assignment of the fight\u2019s four officials (the referee and the three judges).<\/p>\n<p>A sanctioning body will try to make the assignment of all four officials. A weak commission, run by bureaucrats and political appointees who know very little to nothing about boxing, will cave in to the request of the sanctioning bodies.The officials requested are dues-paying members of that sanctioning body and regular attendees at their yearly seminars. They will be officials the sanctioning body wants to pat on their collective backs for their dues-paying, seminar attendance and loyalty, by giving them a plum assignment. These plum assignments mean everything from higher pay to all-expense paid travel outside of their home state or country. On many occasions, an official will be met at his\/her hotel, who will wine and dine them\u2026tell them a story or three about how important this fight is to both the promoter and the terrific fighter they represent. The official will be told how highly they are regarded, that\u2019s the reason they have been brough in for the fight. The official may also be showered with expensive gift cards and perhaps an envelope filled with cash. Of course, there is a promise of \u201cthere will be more of this for you if things go our way.\u201d Many officials turn down the gifts and tune out the promises. Many accept. They feel they\u2019ve earned the accolades and rewards.<\/p>\n<p>Gasp if you must. Disbelieve if you\u2019d like. But it happens. It happened in the Tyrone Everett-Alfredo Escalera fight. It\u2019s happened countless other times, as well. The Mykal Fox-Gabriel Maestre fight was just the latest incident in a rash of awful decisions, brought on by the inefficiency of the local commission.<\/p>\n<p>A weak commission will approve the request of the sanctioning body without asking questions. A strong commission will stand up to the sanctioning body. At first, the sanctioning body will complain bitterly. They may even threaten to pull the sanction.<\/p>\n<p>However, pulling the sanction means losing the sanctioning fee, which could be tens\u2014or hundreds of thousands of dollars. No sanctioning body wants to lose money, especially that kind of money. So, they try to make a deal with the commission.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll say, \u201cYou choose the referee. We\u2019ll choose the judges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When I was confronted with this situation in my days as Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, I would tell the sanctioning body, \u201cI will choose two of the officials. I will approve the other two.<br \/>\nThe two I would choose were the referee and one judge. The sanctioning body would then begin throwing names of two other judges at me. Unless I was totally comfortable with the names, I would reject them. I kept rejecting names until he names of two judges were put before me which I approved. I knew better than to accept officials who were attached at the hip of a sanctioning body. If I did accept one\u2014or more\u2014of them, it\u2019s because they were licensed New York officials who also resided in New York. They knew that any scoring favoritism towards the sanctioning body \u201chomeboy\u201d would result in swift and severe disciplinary action against them. Nobody ever tested me!<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s see what happens with judge John Mariano, who scored the fight wrong in his own state. The other two judges, Gloria Martinez Rizzo and David Singh, returned to Florida and Panama, respectively. It is doubtful any disciplinary any will befall either of them, outside of a short, meaningless suspension by the WBA.<br \/>\nWith pressure mounting on them to take action, the WBA has announced they are \u201cinvestigating\u201d the judges and their scorecards. They have declared the interim title \u201cwon\u201d by Maestre to be vacant. And they have ordered a rematch. They have also announced the indefinite suspension of Ms. Rizzo. An indefinite suspension could be permanent, a lifetime ban. After a ludicrous, non-sensical scorecard which was turned in by Ms. Rizzo, the suspension should be permanent. An indefinite suspension may also be a few months, long enough to allow the boxing public to forget Ms. Rizzo\u2019s awful card.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll stay all over this.<\/p>\n<p>We won\u2019t forget.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time these awful scoring travesties came to an end.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Randy \u201cThe Commish\u201d Gordon is the Author of the hit book, &#8220;Glove Affair&#8221;. Order your copy by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/rowman.com\/ISBN\/9781538121122\/Glove-Affair-My-Lifelong-Journey-in-the-World-of-Professional-Boxing\">HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>[si-contact-form form=&#8217;2&#8242;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Randy \u201cThe Commish\u201d Gordon In my decades in boxing, I have seen some pretty awful decisions rendered. Some I\u2019ve seen from ringside. Others I\u2019ve watched on television. I\u2019m not talking about close decisions in competitive fights. I\u2019m talking about awful decisions, ones which reek of either incompetence or worse, dishonesty. I\u2019ve seen both. Several [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[27265],"class_list":["post-106312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-randys-ringside-on-ringside-report-heres-the-score"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=106312"}],"version-history":[{"count":-1,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106312\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=106312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=106312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=106312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}