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Australian boxing followers ought to be grateful.
A historic flawed in opposition to one in every of our personal has been rectified.
Jeff Fenech has had his controversial WBC tremendous featherweight title defeat to Azumah Nelson in 1991 overturned.
Fenech can now add the tremendous featherweight title to his bantamweight, tremendous bantamweight and featherweight crowns, placing him in rarefied air as one of many few four-weight world champions in boxing historical past alongside the likes of Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Durán, Pernell Whitaker and Roy Jones Junior, amongst others.
The Marrickville Mauler needed to wait greater than 30 years to get his end result modified, however his is a uncommon case the place justice seems to have been executed.
In spite of everything, Fenech is much from alone in having been “robbed” by judges ringside.
As is the case with any subjective sport, not everybody goes to agree with each resolution that is made.
And never each shut battle is a theft.
Types make fights and a few judges want sure kinds to others.
In fact, traditionally, challengers have usually needed to do greater than be simply nearly as good because the defending champion to take the belts, and it is an acknowledged problem that home-town boxers will most of the time get tight selections go their method.
However there have been some absolute stinkers in boxing’s lengthy and venerable historical past.
Given the WBC seems to be in a reflective, temper, this is a listing of different matches that may want redressing with some retroactive judging.
Pernell Whitaker vs Jose Luis Ramirez
It is 1988, and 1984 Olympic light-weight champion Pernell Whitaker had simply walloped WBC light-weight champion Jose Luis Ramirez in Paris.
The issue is, one thing is afoot.
Ramirez was set for an all-Mexican unification battle with Juilo César Chávez (we’ll get to him in a bit) and simply wanted to retain his title in opposition to this upstart American.
And guess what? Retain his belt he did.
“[José Sulaimán, the WBC boss] is nothing however a goddarn thief,” Whitaker’s coach Lou Duva shouted throughout a post-fight interview.
Thankfully for Whitaker, he didn’t let this controversial defeat get to him, and he thrashed Ramirez of their rematch little over a 12 months later.
Pernell Whitaker vs Julio César Chávez
Being dudded by the judges as soon as is harsh. Twice? That is uncalled for.
Whitaker had moved up by this time in his profession, profitable belts at light-weight, mild welterweight, and welterweight.
Subsequent up, was a contest with the perfect pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, Mexican nice Julio César Chávez.
The Combat, because it was billed, was truly fairly one sided to everybody watching — besides two of the three judges, who scored it a 115-115 draw, which means a majority draw that left no person glad.
“I am glad we have TV and hundreds of thousands of viewers watching this one. It is a win for me as a result of the general public will get to resolve,” Whitaker mentioned.
Sadly, it would not work that method.
The Ring Journal requested on it is January 1994 entrance cowl, “Was Pernell Whitaker robbed in San Antonio?”
The reply is, resoundingly, sure.
Timothy Bradley vs Manny Pacquiao
The WBO welterweight world championship belt was on the road between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas in June 2012.
Sadly, it was barely a contest.
Bradley, an unbeaten American who had moved up from junior welterweight for the possibility for a payday in opposition to the nice Filipino, was performed with by Pacquiao all through the 12 rounds.
When Michael Buffer mentioned in his personal indomitable fashion, “we go to the judges scorecards,” everybody felt the end result can be a formality.
Spoiler alert — it was not.
The scorecards learn: 113 to 115, Pacquiao; 115 to 113, Bradley and 115 to 113 Bradley.
Boos rained down from the stands.
Promoter Bob Arum mentioned it was “outrageous” in a post-fight interview and it is onerous to say he was flawed.
This was not Jeff Horn edging Pacquiao in Brisbane a number of years later — this was a real theft.
As if to show the purpose, Pacquiao gained each rematches by large unanimous selections.
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall
Undisputed tremendous light-weight world champion Josh Taylor left Glasgow something however undisputed after a vastly controversial resolution in opposition to English fighter Jack Catterall in February this 12 months.
Promoter Ben Shalom mentioned he was “embarrassed” by the break up resolution victory entering into favour of Taylor, who was largely outboxed for lengthy intervals of the contest.
“I am shocked proper now. I am shell-shocked,” Shalom instructed Sky Sports activities on the evening.
“There needs to be an inquest … this was truly embarrassing.
“If there’s not an inquest it’ll hurt the game. We’ll do the whole lot we are able to as a result of I am not simply embarrassed, I am actually offended.”
Catterall had his personal opinion of the end result, in fact.
“What a load of shit,” he wrote on Twitter.
Roy Jones Jr, Michael Conlon, and many others vs The Olympics
It is not simply within the skilled ranks the place surprising outcomes will be recorded.
One such occasion was Fenech’s fellow four-weight world champion Roy Jones Junior’s disgraceful defeat to South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun within the 1988 Seoul Olympic mild middleweight closing.
Park instructed AP he was “confused” when his hand was raised — he wasn’t the one one.
“I did not need my hand to be raised however it did go up, and my life turned gloomy due to that,” he mentioned.
The Olympics is maybe a nasty instance — an unbiased investigation led by Richard McLaren into boxing on the 2016 Rio Video games discovered that various medal matches had been fastened.
The Rio Video games had been well-known for Irish boxer Michael Conlan sticking up his center fingers at judges after a vastly contentious defeat to Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin.
This, and different governance points, have led to boxing’s ongoing existence on the Video games being put doubtful.
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