Independent Judges Needed In Boxing

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31321, 17 March 1967, Page 13

Independent Judges Needed In Boxing

(By Out Boxing Reporter) The decision in favour of Manoel Santos against Bunny Grant in their Empire light-weight title fight on Wednesday has done New Zealand boxing a great deal of harm.

The decision was not only blatantly wrong —it was inexplicable. One judge, Mr C. A. Head, thought Grant so superior that he gave him 298 points out of 300. In Mr Head’s opinion, Grant was 12 points better than Santos.

Another judge, Mr W. P. Sommerville, thought Santos six points better than Grant. He considered Santos so superior that he awarded him 296 points out of a possible 300. The third judge, Mr B. F. O’Brien, gave the decision to Santos by three points, 294 to 291. Invidious Position

Mr O’Brien, as president of the Wellington Boxing Association, promoter of the bout, land publicity agent for the bout, should never have iallowed himself to be placed in the invidious position of being a judge for a fight in which he had such a great personal interest. Mr O’Brien’s integrity is not challenged, but by allowing himself to be appointed a judge he made an error. Mr O'Brien, as publicity officer for the promoting body, told reporters that he was very annoyed with Grant because Grant, at the last minute, decided not give an exhibition of sparring in Wanganui and 300 persons were in a hall waiting to see it, and because Grant declined to go to the Wellington wharves and shake hands with watersiders and “the wharfies are amongst Santos’s

greatest supporters,” Mr O’Brien said. Mr O’Brien sold all but 116 of the seats in the Town Hall before announcing that the fight would be on the radio and television. He did a magnificent job for his association. Demanded a Share At the weigh-in, Dr. C. Western, trainer-manager of Grant, demanded a share of the radio and television rights. Mr O’Brien, as president of the W.8.A., told them the fee represented the association’s profit as it would finish only about all square if all the seats were sold. He told Grant and Dr. Western they might get a cut of the overseas rights to the radio and television commentaries.

To reporters, Mr O’Brien said that he might have considered giving Grant a cut of the fee if he had been more co-operative in publicity proposals. The N.Z.B.C. paid more than £7OO in radio and television fees, by far the highest ever paid for a boxing match, and Mr O’Brien certainly did his association and boxing in this country good service in achieving this. But then, Mr O’Brien was at fault in turning from promoter and publicity officer into a judge—because a judge must not only be unbiased, but be seen to be unbiased. Staunch Supporter

Mr Sommerville has been a member of the New Zealand Boxing Council for many years. He is aged over 70, lives in Wellington and is a staunch supporter of the Wellington Boxing Association. Mr Head was directly involved in the negotiations to bring Grant to New Zealand. He met Dr. Western in Jamaica, and when Dr. Western at first asked £5OOO to fight Santos, Mr O’Brien said that Mr Head was personally responsible for getting them to agree to fight for £2OOO.

Thus all three judges had strong, personal interests in the successful outcome of the fight and should not have allowed themselves to be appointed judges. The difference between Mr Head’s decision and that of Mr Sommerville is so great

that the layman could be excused for wondering if they had watched the same fight. The radio and television commentators were both certain, before the decision was given, that Grant had won—and had won handsomely. Both Wellington newspaper reporters considered that Santos had won. A former New Zealand Empire boxing titleholder, retained by a Wellington paper to comment on the bout, thought that Santos had won.

All the other outside reporters, including “The Press” boxing writer, judged Grant to be a clear winner. “The Press” boxing writer has on three former occasions commented on “home town” decisions by local judges in boxing matches in Christchurch.

Dr. Western immediately after the fight cabled a protest about the verdict to the British Boxing Board of Control. Dr. Western’s protest is given additional weight because he has no contract with Grant and receives no money for training or managing him. Long Overdue Move The New Zealand Boxing Association should not wait for any comment from the board but make a long overdue move to put its own house in order. The N.Z.B.A. should rule that all judges for all title bouts or bouts in which an overseas boxer is a contestant, should be appointed from outside the association or centre promoting the bouts. The ability and integrity of New Zealand boxing judges, all of whom have passed practical and theoretical examinations before being appointed judges, is not in question. If outside judges—and there are plenty of qualified men in New Zealand, some with international tickets—are appointed, the public would have no ground for criticism based on personal interest.