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| Photo via badlefthook.com |
When I was watching the Pacquiao vs. Bradley fight last week via TFC PPV, Pacquiao won-no doubt. Ringside press also believed Pacman unanimously won. However, when Michael Buffer announced the verdict, Bradley won via split decision.
Boxing judge C. J. Ross and Duane Ford gave Bradley a score of 115-113. Why? This is the big question.
Before I will try to answer this question, let me tell you how a boxing judge should score a round. It should be like this; the winner of a certain round will get a score of 10 and the loser will get nine or less. That is as per the “10-point must system” method.
According to Wikipedia, “…under the same system, a knock down usually results in a score of eight for the boxer who was knocked down, and 10 for his or her opponent (provided, of course, the knocked-down boxer gets up before the end of the count and finishes it)...”
“A judge may occasionally award a 10 - 8 score if the round's winner is obviously dominating the other fighter. If the fight progresses through all scheduled rounds, the sum of the scores for each round are tallied for each judge to determine the winner of the match unless the match is halted for a knockout, submission, or disqualification.”
“Draws are possible even with an odd number of rounds because a fighter may win a round by more than one point (e.g. 10-8, 9-10, 9-10 => 28-28), or lose one or more points due to fouls. Each foul usually costs one point, and is determined by the referee.”
Since Pacquiao vs. Bradley don’t have any knockdowns and no one was penalized for any foul–the fight was easy to score. The dominant fighter won and gets 10-point and the other get nine. Simple as that if the fight is lopsided. But in a competitive round what will be the basis for a boxing Judge?
The word ring generalship comes in. Meaning the fighter who is the answer for the following questions will probably win the round.
1 Who controls the fight?
2 Who landed the telling blows?
3 Who’s the busier fighter?
4 Who's the composed fighter?
5 Who's style is effective against the other?
I think there are more criteria that a boxing judge might consider, aside from the given above. Sometimes the word “home-town-decision” might be considered.
Now, base upon the criteria mentioned above let us see who won the fight and that answer my question in the beginning of this article. My answers here are my visualization of Judge C.G. Ross and Duane ford on how they saw the fight.
But let me tell you before I will give my answer. I watch the replay of the fight without sound at all and score accordingly. Try it.
Here are my answers.
1 Who controls the fight? – I think Judge Ross and Ford gave it to Bradley, Why?
When Bradley refused to engage in rounds 10, 11 and 12 he is successful because Pacquiao was unable to corner and engage him.
In the early rounds Bradley fight toe-to-toe but feel that it works to his disadvantage; he then changed his style in the later rounds. Being in control of what he wants to do inside the ring made him win in this criterion.
1 Who controls the fight? – I think Judge Ross and Ford gave it to Bradley, Why?
When Bradley refused to engage in rounds 10, 11 and 12 he is successful because Pacquiao was unable to corner and engage him.
In the early rounds Bradley fight toe-to-toe but feel that it works to his disadvantage; he then changed his style in the later rounds. Being in control of what he wants to do inside the ring made him win in this criterion.
2 Who landed the telling blows? – No doubt it is Pacquiao
3 Who’s the busier fighter? – I think it is Bradley, though he didn’t connect most of his punches, he is the one who moves around.
4 Who's the composed fighter? – Except for rounds five, six, seven and eight wherein Bradley looks wobbly when Pacquiao connects power punches, the remaining rounds Bradley looks composed, while Pacquiao looks struggling and a bit frustrated when Bradley fight from the outside and tied him from the inside every time he gets close.
5 Whose style is effective against the other? I think both judges give it for Pacquiao because both fighters are aggressive but it works well with Pacquiao because of his power while Bradley is ineffective that is why he chooses to shift his style and fight from the distance.
Now, don’t get me wrong, a judge might consider only anyone of the criteria and score the round accordingly. A judge might give the round to a fighter who landed the telling blows compared to a busy fighter that landed more unclear weak punches or it might be the other way around.
That is why; the best judge to a boxing fight is the fighter’s own fists. Knock your guy out, no questions ask you are the winner.
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