Pacquiao v. Bradley: Impeach those boxing judges

by Atty. Emmanuel Samonte Tipon

“Now that you’ve lost, do you still believe in me?  God to Manny Pacquiao who is now a Bible-quoting, women-abstaining part time evangelical preacher
“Faith should not change during bad times.” Manny Pacquiao.
“God must have a purpose in this.”  Jinkee Pacquiao
“Dinaya ang anak ko.” (My son was cheated) – PacMom (Dionisia Pacquiao)

There is a tsunami of outrage that has flooded the boxing world at the clearly erroneous split decision that stripped Manny Pacquiao of his World Boxing Organization welterweight title and gave it to Timothy Bradley.

Highway robbery?  Highway robbery happens frequently in Las Vegas.  I know; I used to live there.

The two out of three judges who decided for Bradley will likely retort: “No such thing. There was no highway and no robbery. We called it as we saw it.”

“I think the judges had their eyes closed,” observed Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach. They must have been like the “three blind mice,” Promoter Bob Arum laughed. If they need an ophthalmologist, I recommend the best in Hawaii – Dr. Jorge Camara. He is my ophthalmologist. The judges don’t have to come to Hawaii. They can stay in Nevada. Dr. Camara can operate by remote control via television with another doctor actually doing the surgery at the other end while he gives directions. But he is Filipino.

A DAY OF INFAMY

Saturday, June 9 was “A Day of Infamy” when the two boxing judges decided that Pacquiao lost to Bradley, even though Pacquiao won on everybody else’s score card, said a commentator.

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” is the city’s slogan. The Pacquiao v. Bradley split decision happened in Vegas but it won’t stay in Vegas. The whole world is reacting negatively. Thousands of derogatory comments have been heaped on the decision and the judges on Twitter, Facebook, e-mails, newspaper columns, radio and television programs, and other means of communication.  It is “the most egregiously bad decision in the controversial world of professional boxing,” according to Paul Magno, a Yahoo contributor.

Almost all at ringside agreed that Pacquiao won. “Even Roger Mayweather, the uncle and trainer of Floyd Mayweather, questioned the decision in a tweet: ‘Can’t lie I hate Manny but he did beat the (expletive) out of Bradley. But like I said it’s no one to blame but Bob Arum.” USA Today, 06/11/12. It was reported that even Bradley’s father believed that Pacquiao won. Bradley’s wife, Monica, appeared very surprised when it was announced that her husband won.

What about Bradley himself? Bob Arum who was the promoter of both Pacquiao and Bradley (“conflict of interest”?), reportedly said:   "I had it 10-2! After I got into the ring after the fight, I went over to Bradley and said 'You did very well.' He said, 'I tried hard, but I couldn't beat the guy.' This is crazy. You talk about killing boxing? All three scorecards you throw out."

“Pacquiao said he respected the decision, but felt he won the fight. From the look on Bradley's face at the end of the bout, it appeared he felt the same way.” See it here.

The only ones who did not agree were boxing judges Duane Ford and Catherine J. Ross and a few Bradley fans.

INVESTIGATE THE JUDGES

Demands for the investigation of the two judges have been made. “Promoter Bob Arum was still fuming about the split-decision verdict that went against Manny Pacquiao on Saturday and said there would be no rematch with Timothy Bradley unless Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto launches an investigation,” wrote Kevin Iole in Yahoo Sports.

A petition to the Governor of Nevada to overturn the decision has been started on line. Thousands have signed. If you wish to sign the petition, here is the link.

Nevada State Athletic Commission [NSAC] Executive Director Keith Kizer was reported by the Los Angeles Times to have said that he does not anticipate any discipline or review of Ross or Ford. Why not? According to the London Telegraph “Skip Avansino, the  NSAC commission chairman, who had been ringside, told American media sources last night that he was not concerned by the scoring. “We had three seasoned professionals working and I don't question their determinations,” Avansino said. “Unless something is brought to our attention that there was improper behaviour, we're not going to take any action. I'm not going to second-guess our judges.”

The latest scuttlebutt in this sordid affair was reported by Eric Ball in Bleacher Report: “Executive Director Keith Kizer will be reviewing the video of Timothy Bradley’s controversial split-decision victory over Manny Pacquiao according to Ring TV. . . The results aren’t going to change, but if Kizer is not satisfied with the reasoning of Ross and Ford, they could be barred from judging another major event.”

Pacquiao heartily endorsed the reelection bid of Senator Harry Reid of Nevada who is now the Senate Majority Leader. Reid should be asked to initiate a congressional investigation of the judges.

IMPEACH THE JUDGES? 

What should be done when a judge renders a clearly erroneous decision?

Remove the judge? Impeach the judge? But does it change the decision?

In the United States, many judges render clearly erroneous decisions in legal cases without being punished. Some are even promoted. As for boxing judges, there must be some legal remedy against those who render clearly erroneous decisions besides simply being “barred from judging another major event.”

CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Arum was quoted by USA Today on June 11 as saying: “The conspiracy theory is that somehow I arranged this to create a rematch which would give me another big fight until Floyd (Mayweather, who is serving an 87-day jail sentence) is ready to fight. Arum said that he was getting so much heat for this that ‘On Monday, we’re asking the attorney general of Nevada to conduct an investigation of everybody, to see what the facts are here. This is such an incredible situation, something I’ve never seen in 47 years in boxing, that it requires an investigation. And you can’t rely on the (Nevada Athletic Commission) to conduct an investigation, because they’ll whitewash it.

A more credible conspiracy theory is that it is easier now to convince Mayweather to fight Pacquiao: “See, Pacquiao is vulnerable. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” There is much bigger money in a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight than in a Pacquiao-Bradley rematch.


(Atty. Tipon has a Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines. He specializes in immigration law and criminal defense. Office: 800 Bethel St., Suite 402, Honolulu, HI 96813. Tel. (808) 225-2645. E-Mail: filamlaw@yahoo.com. Websites: MilitaryandCriminalLaw.com; www.ImmigrationServicesUSA.com. He is from Laoag City and Magsingal, Ilocos Sur. He served as an Immigration Officer. He is co-author of “Immigration Law Service, 1st ed.,” an 8-volume practice guide for immigration officers and lawyers. Listen to the most funny, interesting, and useful radio program in Hawaii on KNDI at 1270, AM dial every Thursday at 7:30 a.m., rebroadcast at www.iluko.com. This article is a general overview of the subject matter discussed and is not intended as legal advice. No warranty is made by the writer or publisher as to its completeness or correctness at the time of publication.)