In Saturday’s title fight Argentina’s Gustavo Lemos, 29-1, lost a highly disputed decision to Richardson Hitchens, 17-0, in an IBF Super Lightweight Eliminator by scores of 115-113 twice and 117-111 all for Hitchens in Las Vegas, Nevada.
I had the same score of 117-111, but for Lemos. Hitchens, who caused clinch after clinch with Lemos in every round without one warning from referee Raul Caiz, Jr. over the 12 rounds that many of us felt he should have warned Hitchens, took away a point or threatened after three warnings a disqualification in favor of Lemos.
The worst decision I ever while attending saw was when WBC Super featherweight champion Puerto Rico’s Alfredo Escalera, 36-7-2, in November of 1976, fought at Philadelphia’s Spectrum against Philly’s Tyrone Everett, 34-0.
I scored it while in attendance 13-2 in rounds for Everett, 148-137. Mexico’s referee scored it 148-146 for Escalera, Puerto Rico’s judge Ismael Wiso Fernandez scored 146-143 for Everett. Then came Philadelphia’s Lou Tress, 145-143 Escalera, who after 330 bouts never judged again. Did he move to Puerto Rico?
Everette fought twice after this against Cornello Vega, 34-35-4, in Philly, and Delfino Rodriguez, 4-8-2, in Landover, MD. Ten days later, he was shot to death.
Escalera went on to go 16-7-1 ending with a 53-14-3 record in 1983. In January of 1979 he lost his title to Alexis Arguello, 57-5, in Mexico being stopped in 13 rounds. He never got another title fight.
In having lunch with manager Jim Jacobs in New York around 1982, who had “The
Greatest Fights of the Century” film collection and managed light heavy champ Jose Torres, heavy champ Floyd Patterson, and future heavy champ whom I would later meet Mike Tyson, still an amateur in Catskill at the residence of their legendary trainer Cus D’Amato and co-owner Camile Ewald.
Jacobs told me the worst decision he ever saw was Manayunk section of Philadelphia light heavy champ Harold Johnson, 69-8, losing to Willie Pastrano, 57-11-8, by split decision in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Two fights later, Pastrano lost to Argentina’s Gregorio Peralta, 35-3-4, in a non-title fight, and in the rematch, two fights later, losing again to Peralta. Johnson went 7-2 after this, never getting a rematch of another title fight.
I’m sure readers of Boxing News 24 will have some of the worst decisions they have ever seen.
