What the judge thought

Well, he did it. Boxing promoter Bob Arum has asked the Attorney General of the state of Nevada to probe the judging of the recent Pacquiao-Bradley fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, saying he believes more in the competence of the DA than the Nevada Athletic Commission, which has become suspect itself. This is because the Commission had solely decided on who were to be the judges of the match, and it chose three men who are all Americans, and all residents of Nevada.

***

Of course we must not let our hopes up or even consider that the probe to be conducted by the District Attorney will bring any change in the decision. The judges will stick to their scores, and they will be protected by the rules – or tradition – that decisions by judges and referees are final. Arum has declared that unless there is an investigation, there will be no rematch. Me, I hope that any fights that Pacquiao does in the United States be staged in other cities, and no longer in Las Vegas, which has been raking in everytime a Pacquiao fight is held there.

***

Why can’t they hold it in Los Angeles, maybe at the Staples Center, which is often the venue of NBA games? If it is too small for the crowd expected, then Arum should do what he said before he was planning: Build a temporary arena for a big fight. I recall reading before the Pacquiao-Bradley travesty that the mayor of Las Vegas, when interviewed, said she was very happy that her city was being made the venue for the bouts. She must be thinking of the millions of dollars, not only from taxes, but also from the business brought to the hotels, the shops, the eateries and, best of all, the casinos. But if Nevadan judges can treat athletes that way, let them play among themselves.

***

A heartwarming piece of news came out in Las Vegas, shortly fter the fight, that showed that even people who earn from the fights by accepting bets, can be honorable, too. A company, the Irish-owned Paddy Power that services bettors, reportedly refunded the money of those who bet on Manny Paquiao. This is because they also believe that the bettors would be cheated if they lost their money that they had placed on the winner. If there’s honor among thieves, there could also be honor among gamblers. Cheers!

***

Meanwhile, an Agence France Press report quoted judge Duane Ford as saying that he “thought Bradley taught Pacquiao a boxing lesson”. He also said he “thought all the rounds were close” and that “Pacquiao missed a lot of punches, and I thought he was throwing wildly”. He thought, he thought! Was he not scoring? Did he not know that 253 blows had landed on Bradley, and the latter was only jabbing and hitting the Pacman’s arm? If ever there was an admission that he had been totally subjective in judging, could there be one stronger confirmation than this?

***

I know that almost all those who go to Las Vegas to watch the fights, also place bets on the fighters. The few times I’ve been there, I only bet twice, and that was when I got embarrassed when my friends kept teasing me for being a “kuripot (tightwad)” Negrense. So I agreed to bet a hundred dollars, nervously computing how much that would mean in pesos then. But I had to rely on my nephew, Sonny Ramos, to place it, since I could not understand the mechanism.

***

I only bet on who would win, so when Manny Pacquiao disposed of Erik Morales, I claimed my winnings, which was exactly $100. Happiness! The next time I was there, I think it was against Juan Manuel Marquez, I allowed myself to be convinced by a relative of Manny that we bet on the round in which Manny would dispose of his opponent. Alas, the fight went the distance, and we all lost. That was the last time. I mourned for the hundred dollars until I got home, and the next time I was there, I just watched – and felt bad later because I would have won had I placed my money on the win-loss odds. I guess I’m really no gambler at heart. I don’t even know how to play mahjong, and blackjack bores me. I think the biggest gamble I ever got into all my life was being with the pack that set up the DAILY STAR.

***

Congratulations to the Philippine Azkals for trouncing their football opponents from Guam with a remarkable score of 3-0. The three goals were all accomplished in the first half, and after that, the Guamanians must have gotten their measure and were able to prevent further goals. But that was enough, since the visiting team members were said to have Filipino roots, one of them even from Negros Occidental. So it was a real “friendly,” as sports lingo goes.*

back to top