After the GGG-Canelo Debacle, Can Boxing Gain its Integrity Again?
Saturday’s judging Error did nothing to erase the negative perceptions surrounding the sport.
In the end, boxing just couldn’t help itself.
Last Saturday, the biggest fight of the year between Middleweight Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin for the WBA, IBF and lineal middleweight championship took place at T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in front of a sold-out crowd; It was everything a fight fan could hope for. The bout was deemed an instant classic as the two fighters delivered a barnburner that went to the scorecards after 12 rounds. While most analyst tabbed Golovkin as the would-be winner, controversy ensued when the scores were read and judge Adalaide Byrd scored the fight with a horrendous mark of 118–110 in favor of Alvarez, along with totals of a 114–114 draw and 115–113 in favor of Golovkin. Outrage was sparked among spectators in the arena and on social media as Alvarez was booed during his post-fight interview, and commentator Teddy Atlas, calling out the judge and the sport on a fixed fight.
“Corruption in boxing,” Atlas said on air during the Pay per view. “Follow the money. And no one else is going to say that in boxing, and some people are going to be very upset, and I don’t care. I don’t care if they’re upset.”
And just like that, a historic bout was overshadowed by the usual shenanigans in boxing that have turned so many spectators away from the sport over the past half-century.
Boxing has long been accused of being riddled with corruption since the creation of the sport. Movies in pop culture such as “Daredevil” and “Pulp Fiction” have portrayed mobsters as having ties in the boxing world that influence the outcomes of important matches through judging or fighter performance. Because of its crooked reputation, many fans have turned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Mixed Martial Arts as their combat sport of choice due to its increase in violence, timely marquee bouts and more importantly, legitimacy.
Last Saturday’s bout did nothing to deter the long-running stereotype the sport has gained, with this being the second judging controversy in the past three months for a major fight that was thought to have a clear winner. In July, Manny Pacquiao lost a unanimous decision to Joe Horn in Australia despite landing more punches by nearly 20 percent and almost stopping Horn in the 9th round without seeing danger himself. After the Canelo-Golovkin decision Byrd, who has had a history of janky scoring in her time as a judge, was immediately called by fans and former fighters to be removed from her position, and never be allowed ringside again. Bob Bennett, the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic-Commission defended her judging in statement to ESPN saying that:
“Adalaide, in my estimation, is an outstanding judge. She’s done over 115 title fights and/or elimination bouts. She does a great deal of our training. Takes a lot of our judges under her wing. I think being a judge is a very challenging position. “Unfortunately, Adalaide was a little wide. I’m not making any excuses. I think she’s an outstanding judge, and in any business, sometimes you have a bad day. She saw the fight differently. It happens.”
While Bennett may have believed that his judge simply saw the fight differently, it is fair to point out what Bennett failed to see differently in an opportunity to make a statement on behalf of the sport of boxing. It is not wrong to stick by an employee through their mistakes, but when their track record proves that they have too many of the same errors all too often, it is time to make a change. The correct thing for Bob Bennett to do is remove Byrd from her position as a judge for Nevada for good. While having someone’s job does not change the outcome of a fight, it does show the public that the commission cares about incompetent decision making and wants to rectify the blatant issues that are taking place in the sport. If you can restore the public’s confidence, it provides a step in the right direction of bringing fans back.
Boxing’s profile has not been this elevated for years but neither have the questions about the sports integrity which has taken a beating from the Pacquiao and Golvkin incidents and the crossover fight between Floyd Mayweather and UFC star Conor McGregor. Last Saturday was supposed to silence any critics who were skeptical about the future of boxing and its popularity. Instead everyone left the fight with more concerns and questions about whether the pride of boxing will ever be restored to its original form.
Lee Williams is a hopeless Lions fan from Detroit who writes about sports. Follow him on Twitter.
