Promoter Gary Shaw, visibly upset over a series of bum decisions in boxing, will lead the crusade to have incompetent judges or officials whose integrity is under a cloud, removed.
However, his first step would be to make their names public.
Shaw who was enraged by the poor decision against South Africa’s Ali Funeka in his lightweight title fight against Joan Guzman last November 28 spoke to www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports following the recent decision in which Gabriel Campillo was “robbed silly” according to boxingscene.com in his WBA light heavyweight title fight against Beibut Shumenov last January 29 which was also promoted by Golden Boy.
While Levi Martinez scored the fight for Campillo 117-111, Patricia Morse Jarman had it for Shumenov by the same 117-111 score which reflected a scandalous swing of 12 points which resulted in a series of nasty comments on the various Internet boxing forums.
In the Funeka-Guzman fight where Guzman retained his title with a highly questionable majority draw, judge Joseph Pasquale scored it for Funeka 116-112 and while Benoit Roussel and Alan Davis had it an even 114-114.
When Paulie Malignaggi suffered another bum decision against Juan Diaz in fight for the vacant WBO NABO light welterweight title it was also a Golden Boy Promotions card staged in Diaz’ hometown of Houston, Texas and even though Malignaggi had warned in pre-fight interviews that the judges were stacked against him, nothing was done to ease his concerns and he ultimately lost with one judge, Gale Van Hoy turning in a highly dubious 118-110 scorecard in favor of Diaz.
Shaw who is chairman of the judges committee of the Boxing Promoters Association said he will be meeting with the sanctioning bodies, the Association of Boxing Officials around the world about the problem.
Shaw told us he plans to “put out a list, like a warning list of those judges who have gone overboard on the wrong decisions so that we make their names public.”
The outspoken promoter said “we got to stop it. Its not good for our sport.”
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