Nuts: The Agbeko-Mares Refereeing Disgrace
by Eddie Goldman
It was all supposed to be so sweet. TV network Showtime would get the best bantamweight boxers in the world in a tournament to fight each other and elevate the status of this oft-overlooked but talent-rich division.
It didn’t even hurt that much that Bob Arum’s Top Rank prevented Nonito Donaire and Fernando Montiel from participating, since agreeing to fight in this tournament were four other standouts: former IBF champion Joseph Agbeko, former 112- and 115-pound champion Vic Darchinyan, unbeaten Abner Mares, and then-unbeaten IBF champion Yonnhy Perez. Donaire did brutally knock out Montiel on HBO in a fight stopped late by a referee named Russell Mora.
The opening round of the Showtime tournament saw two exciting fights. Agbeko, who had lost a decision to Perez in October 2009, outboxed him in the rematch in December 2010 and took a unanimous decision. Mares, known more as a boxer, actually outslugged slugger Darchinyan the same night to win a split decision, although Darchinyan complained of numerous unpenalized low blows by Mares.
The finals between Agbeko and Mares, scheduled for April 23, 2011, did have to be postponed because Agbeko had fallen victim to a sciatica attack after a hellish flight from New York to Los Angeles. Even that couldn’t ruin this tournament, as Agbeko-Mares was rescheduled for August 13 in Las Vegas.
The dream, however, stopped with the opening bell. Mares landed at least three low blows in the first round without the referee, named Russell Mora, penalizing him. When the fighters got their feet tangled up late in the round and Agbeko slipped to the canvas, Mora ruled it a knockdown.
The low blows by Mares kept coming round after round, with nary a peep from Mora. The Showtime announcers, however, weren’t having it, and began tallying them, hitting at least ten by round 5. As this travesty proceeded, after Agbeko was hurt by another low blow in round 10, and again no points were deducted, the normally calm Al Bernstein said, “It’s an outrage. Good God!” He added that this was the worst job by a referee he had seen in 15 years.
Yet it got worse.
In round 11, Agbeko was winning in the first two minutes. Mares then landed his umpteenth low blow, and this time a grimacing Agbeko fell to the canvas. Mora, who was standing directly in line of sight of this latest low blow, surreally began counting a knockdown. Agbeko beat the count, but Mora’s officiating looked like it belonged on a WWE show and not in a boxing ring.
With no points deducted for what Showtime later said were at least 49 low blows, and with two improperly tallied knockdowns, Mares was able to win a majority decision. But the scores and the verdict were meaningless, as virtually everyone who saw this disgrace, including the originally pro-Mares crowd, was appalled.
After the fight, Showtime’s Jim Gray interviewed Mora. “You just raised the arm of Abner Mares,” said Gray. “The question is, ‘Would he have won without your help?’” Mora insisted all of Mares’s punches were legal. They then showed him a replay of the second “knockdown,” yet still Mora refused to admit anything.
When something like this happens in boxing, there generally are two explanations: incompetence or corruption. Right now the motives of Mora are not known, even though he was obviously biased in favor of the Mexican Mares, who is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, and against the Ghanaian Agbeko, who is promoted by Don King Productions.
What needs to be done is for the Nevada commission to nullify the scores and rule the fight a “no decision”. Mora should be investigated and suspended, just as the New Jersey commission suspended the three judges in the Erislandy Lara-Paul Williams fight which went to Williams when Lara clearly deserved the nod. As of this writing, however, Nevada commission executive director Keith Kizer is refusing to take any of these actions.
While protests are being filed, including by the Ghana Boxing Authority, the larger question is what damage was done not only to Agbeko’s groin, but to whatever minuscule credibility boxing still has as a sport.
The people in charge of it appear readier to protect those involved in whatever led to this larceny, even if it means destroying what remains of the sport and business of boxing. And that, just like Mares’s preferred target, is nuts.
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