Via Gav Duthie: On a determined date in March, Josh Taylor will defend his WBO title in a rematch against Jack Catterall. Their first match was for the undisputed title, as Taylor had all four belts.
Despite scoring the knockout and most sensational, Catterall did enough to dethrone Taylor, the score in favor of the champions. There has been an outcry from pundits, boxers and social media. Promoter Ben Shalom says things need to be changed.
Rumor has it that the score of this match will be a little bit different, but what? Boxing has an ancient system for scoring. It hasn’t changed for a long time. How could it be better? Here are some of my ideas, some interesting, some not so much. If you can think of any more, check them out in the comments.
5 judges
Two heads is better than 1, 3 heads is better than 2, etc. Usually, the media will say that the judges are watching a different match than everyone else. Certainly the more people do, the less likely they are to get false results.
pros – Must have 3 out of 5 judges misjudged to see a controversial result. Draws will be less likely as it is mostly with larger numbers. 3 referees will need to score a draw or two winners for one side, two for the other side and a draw.
Defect – How many matches can we appoint five judges? This will only happen at the highest levels of the sport, the world title fights. Only certain judges go around, so grassroots and regional titles won’t benefit from this.
Cancel the draw
In WBSS (World Boxing Super Series), no draw is allowed. It would mess with the schedule to have a draw and then a rematch, due to the tournament’s knockout factor. What they did was if the referee gave the score a draw, then whoever won in the 12th and last round would be declared the winner. This ensures plenty of dramatic finales; in particular, Smith v Skoglund and Usyk V Briedis come to mind. They can award the win to the winner of the 12th round or even add a 13th round.
pros – Great final round and can avoid negative tactics. In melee fights, it’s usually the champion or bigger name that gets the nod, so no draw can help declare a winner if the public is skewed to one side. Whitaker/Chavez is what stands out here.
Defect– Draws are available in most sports, so it removes the elements of great danger and excitement.
Score update every four rounds
This is a system commonly used in Eastern Europe, especially Russia. After 4 rounds, MC will announce the score, for example: 40-36, 39-37, 39-37. I remember a cruiser match against former champion Grigory Drozd using this method. I thought it was weird but interesting nonetheless. Scores were announced again after eight innings before the pause.
pros – It takes away a lot of guesswork. We all know what’s going on, and both fighters know what they need to do. No need to worry about coaches saying, ‘you’re up’, ‘you’re failing’, ‘you need a knockout’, etc.
Defect – It can create additional risks for the boxer, and change tactics. For example the image of Dmitry Bivol v Canelo Alvarez; After four innings, Canelo was pretty much a 40-36 lead on all cards, which was ridiculous. The crowd will go crazy, and what will Bivol do? He thought he was doing well, then discovered that he was going downhill. He’s boxed a nice compositional performance, but if you’re disappointed, then you can lose your guard and go for the owl. Boxers can become reckless if they think they can’t win. It can create more excitement but not good for fighter’s health.
Position of judges
The judges are now sitting in the ring amid the chaos of the crowd. They are only human and can often get carried away by cheers. I’m Scottish myself and know what it’s like to be a boxer back home. Every punch that Taylor throws will receive a reaction. Should they watch it on television in a soundproof room with no comment?
pros – The referee is unaffected by the crowd and has a better view of the actual landing.
Defect – Facilities may not be available everywhere, and there is a benefit to being close to where the activity takes place. It’s not just about the punches that land but how it affects the opponent.
Veterans reviews
I have never heard of any of these judges. They seem to be referees and administrators. We’ve all heard about the terrible lives of boxers after boxing, so why can’t we keep them in the sport? It is not difficult for local committees to organize courses and I am sure many will be interested in keeping them engaged in the sport.
pros – Fighters know boxing. They were in there. They feel every lunch; they understand the tactics, the nuances and what some fighters are trying to accomplish. It keeps them in the game. Since the days of Jersey Joe Walcott, I have not seen a top world champion become a top referee. Surely this is worth considering by the judges.
Defect To be honest, I can’t see the flip side of this. If they’re not good at their job, find someone else. All fights seem to be judged by the same person.
Action Retrospective
Basically a fun way to say reverse a decision. Should there be an independent jury to review title fights, and if a controversial decision gets their attention, will it be reviewed? The panel may decide to overturn a decision.
This will have to be done in a very timely manner. At least within a week of the war. I remember five independent judges scoring Manny Pacquaio v Jeff Horn, as many felt the Australian victory was controversial.
Three of the judges confirmed Horn’s win. Maybe the independent judges don’t want the smoke involved in changing the decision.
pros – I guess that the right decision will be found more often if this is done.
Defect – A lot, to be honest. The independent judges must have been aware of the controversy and this could have biased their ruling. There may also be situations where reversing controversial decisions makes no sense in business.
The worst thing for me is taking away the joy of a decision, because people won’t trust them. People will just think, forget it; This will be reversed next week.
Punch Statistics
Should the judges know about the unofficial numbers scored by the likes of Compubox? How some decisions can be made when the winner lands fewer jabs and fewer power punches is sometimes unrealistic. If the umpires could see the stats at the end of each round or at the end of the match, this could be beneficial.
pros – Less controversy. Sometimes the referee scores shots that are blocked by the glove or avoided.
Defect – Punch stats don’t always tell the whole story. A guy who can throw a punch in a round and score a kill. A stab can be a snap, a tap, a range finder, a larger punch set, a counter punch, or a calculated force. The effect of punches is also very important.
VAR
Abbreviation for video assistant referee. This technology is now available in many sports. The way it works is an additional panel or referee sitting in the room watching the game.
They have the benefit of replay and different angles and can communicate with the referee on the ground. A recent example of the benefits of this is the fight between Teofimo Lopez and Sandor Martin.
Martin should have been credited with the 7th round kill, but it wasn’t. This technology will not directly change the scoring, but it will make accurate decisions regarding kills, headbutts, lows, etc.
pros – Video introduction to help make the right decision, assist the referee to make the correct decision. Again with the game against Teofimo, a 10-9 inning for him could have been 10-8 the other way around.
Defect – It may take time to check the video. It leads to a delay in play, but overall that’s a positive as things are called the way they should be.
In brief
Will any of these really work? What’s your hobby? What should we do? Is it broken, does it need fixing or do we secretly enjoy arguing? Let’s see what happens to Taylor/Catterall and what is the response to it. Whatever the change, I think it’s time to do something about it. I just want the right decisions.
