In an unprecedented development, the Boxing Writers Association of America has started a “watch list” to lift the curtain on ring officials who have “screwed up.” Veteran Texas referee Laurence Cole and Nebraska judges Mike Contreras and Jeff Sinnett have the unwelcome distinction of being the first “honorees.”

“Boxing is a sport where judges and referees are rarely held accountable for poor performances that unfairly change the course of a fighter’s career and, in some instances, endanger lives,” says the BWAA in a preamble to the new feature. Hence the watch list, which is designed to “call attention to ‘egregious’ errors in scoring by judges and unacceptable conduct by referees.”

Contreras and Sinnett, residents of Omaha, were singled out for their scorecards in the match between lightweights Thomas Mattice and Zhora Hamazaryan, an eight round contest staged at the WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa on July 20. They both scored the fight 76-75 for Mattice, enabling the Ohio fighter to keep his undefeated record intact via a split decision.

Although Mattice vs. Hamazaryan was a supporting bout, it aired live on ShoBox. Analyst Steve Farhood, who was been with ShoBox since the inception of the series in 2001, called it one of the worst decisions he had ever seen. Lead announcer Barry Tompkins went further, calling it the worst decision he has seen in his 40 years of covering the sport.

Laurence Cole (pictured alongside his father) was singled out for his behavior as the third man in the ring for the fight between Regis Prograis and Juan Jose Velasco at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans on July 14. The bout was televised live on ESPN.

In his rationale for calling out Cole, BWAA prexy Joseph Santoliquito leaned heavily on Thomas Hauser’s critique of Cole’s performance in The Sweet Science. “Velasco fought courageously and as well as he could,” noted Hauser. “But at the end of round seven he was a thoroughly beaten fighter.”

His chief second bullied him into coming out for another round. Forty-five seconds into round eight, after being knocked down for a third time, Velasco spit out his mouthpiece and indicated to Cole that he was finished. But Cole insisted that the match continue and then, after another knockdown that he ruled a slip, let it continue for another 35 seconds before Velasco’s corner mercifully threw in the towel.

Controversy has dogged Laurence Cole for well over a decade.

Cole was the third man in the ring for the Nov. 25, 2006 bout in Hildalgo, Texas, between Juan Manuel Marquez and Jimrex Jaca. In the fifth round, Marquez sustained a cut on his forehead from an accidental head butt. In round eight, another accidental head butt widened and deepened the gash. As Marquez was being examined by the ring doctor, Cole informed Marquez that he was ahead on the scorecards, volunteering this information while holding his hand over his HBO wireless mike. The inference was that Marquez was free to quit right then without tarnishing his record. (Marquez elected to continue and stopped Jaca in the next round.)

This was improper. For this indiscretion, Cole was prohibited from working a significant fight in Texas for the next six months.

More recently, Cole worked the 2014 fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Orlando Salido at the San Antonio Alamodome. During the fight, Salido made a mockery of the Queensberry rules for which he received no point deductions and only one warning. Cole’s performance, said Matt McGrain, was “astonishingly bad,” an opinion echoed by many other boxing writers. And one could site numerous other incidents where Cole’s performance came under scrutiny.

Laurence Cole is the son of Richard “Dickie” Cole. The elder Cole, now 87 years old, served 21 years as head of the Texas Department of Combat Sports Regulation before stepping down on April 30, 2014. At various times during his tenure, Dickie Cole held high executive posts with the World Boxing Council and North American Boxing Federation. He was the first and only inductee into the inaugural class of the Texas Boxing Hall of Fame, an organization founded by El Paso promoter Lester Bedford in 2015.

From an administrative standpoint, boxing in Texas during the reign of Dickie Cole was frequently described in terms befitting a banana republic. Whenever there was a big fight in the Lone Star State, his son was the favorite to draw the coveted refereeing assignment.

Boxing is a sideline for Laurence Cole who runs an independent insurance agency in Dallas. By law in Texas (and in most other states), a boxing promoter must purchase insurance to cover medical costs in the event that one or more of the fighters on his show is seriously injured. Cole’s agency is purportedly in the top two nationally in writing these policies. Make of that what you will.

Complaints of ineptitude, says the WBAA, will be evaluated by a “rotating committee of select BWAA members and respected boxing experts.” In subsequent years, says the press release, the watch list will be published quarterly in the months of April, August, and December (must be the new math).

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Adjoining states in the west host a number of boxing cards including a world title contest that features a newcomer who, before knocking out a world champion, was erroneously categorized by a Nevada official as unworthy of a title challenge.

Welcome to the world of Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (29-0, 25 KOs) the WBO super welterweight world titlist who meets England’s Liam Smith (26-1-1, 14 KOs) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 21. HBO will televise

Back in April when middleweight titan Gennady “GGG” Golovkin was seeking an opponent to replace Saul “Canelo” Alvarez who was facing suspension for performance enhancement drug use, it was the 21-year-old from Tijuana who volunteered his services for a May 5^th date in Las Vegas.

Bob Bennett, the Executive Director for Nevada State Athletic Commission, denied allowing Munguia an opportunity to fight Golovkin for the middleweight titles. Bennett claimed that the slender Mexican fighter had not proven worthy of contesting for the championship though the tall Mexican wielded an undefeated record of 28 wins with 24 coming by knockout.

To be fair, Bennett has seen many fighters in the past with undefeated records who were not up to challenges, especially against the likes of Golovkin. But on the other hand, how can an official involved in prizefighting deny any fighter the right to make a million dollar payday if both parties are willing?

That is the bigger question.

Munguia stopped by Los Angeles to meet with the media last week and spoke about Bennett and his upcoming first world title defense. He admitted to being in the middle of a whirlwind that is spinning beyond his expectations. But he likes it.

“I’ve never won any kind of award before in my life,” said Munguia at the Westside Boxing Club in the western portion of Los Angeles. “I’ve always wanted to be a world champion since I was old enough to fight.”

When asked how he felt about Nevada’s denying him an attempt to fight Golovkin, a wide grin appeared on the Mexican youngster.

“I would like to thank him,” said Munguia about Bennett’s refusal to allow him to fight Golovkin. “Everything happens for a reason.”

That reason is clear now.

Two months ago Munguia put on a frightening display of raw power in knocking down then WBO super welterweight titlist Sadam Ali numerous times in front of New York fans. It reminded me of George Foreman’s obliteration of Joe Frazier back in the 1970s. World champions are not supposed get battered like that but when someone packs that kind of power those can be the terrifying results.

Still beaming over his newfound recognition, Munguia has grand plans for his future including challenging all of the other champions in his weight category and the next weight division.

“I want to be a great champion,” said Munguia. “I want to make history.”

The first step toward history begins on Saturday when he faces former world champion Smith who was dethroned by another Mexican named Canelo.

Cruiserweight championship

It’s not getting a large amount of attention in my neighborhood but this unification clash between WBA and IBF cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev (26-0, 19 KOs) and WBC and WBO cruiserweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk (14-0, 11 KOs) has historic ramifications tagged all over it.

The first time I ever saw Russia’s 24-year-old Gassiev was three years ago when he made his American debut at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello. It’s a small venue near East L.A. and the fight was attended by numerous boxing celebrities such as James “Lights Out” Toney, Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. One entire section was filled by Russian supporters and Gassiev did not disappoint in winning by stoppage that night. His opponent hung on for dear life.

Ukraine’s Usyk, 31, made his American debut in late 2016 on a Golden Boy Promotions card that staged boxing great Bernard Hopkins’ final prizefight. That night the cruiserweight southpaw Usyk bored audiences with his slap happy style until lowering the boom on South Africa’s Thabiso Mchunu in round nine at the Inglewood Forum. The sudden result stunned the audience.

Now it’s Gassiev versus Usyk and four world titles are at stake. The unification fight takes place in Moscow, Russia and will be streamed via Klowd TV at 12 p.m. PT/ 3 p.m. ET.

Seldom are cruiserweight matchups as enticing to watch as this one.

Another Look

A couple of significant fights took place last weekend, but Manny Pacquiao’s knockout win over Lucas Matthysse for the WBO welterweight world title heads the list.

Neither fighter looked good in their fight in Malaysia but when Pacquiao floored Matthysse several times during the fight, it raised some red flags.

The last time Pacquiao knocked out a welterweight was in 2009 against Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. Since then he had not stopped an opponent. What changed?

In this age of PEDs there was no mention of testing for the Pacquiao/Matthysse fight. For the curiosity of the media and the fans, someone should come forward with proof of testing. Otherwise any future fights for the Philippine great will not be forthcoming.

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THREE PUNCH COMBO: This past weekend, Manny Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KO’s) returned to the ring after a little more than a year off and made surprisingly easy work of Lucas Matthysse (39-5, 36 KO’s), stopping him in round seven to win a welterweight belt. Many, including myself, thought Matthysse just may have been too much for Pacquiao at this point in Pacquiao’s career.

The old Pacquiao is back was the theme on social media following the fight, but let’s not go overboard. Something didn’t seem right with Matthysse. There is no question in my mind he came to win and gave all he had left, but he looked lethargic from the opening bell. I understand Matthysse is not the most fleet footed of boxers but he looked even slower than he has in the past. And that fearsome power was just not there. His punches had nothing behind them. Essentially, it looked like Matthysse got old. He exhibited all the signs of a shopworn fighter.

Pacquiao seemed to sense early that this was not the same Matthysse and went to work dazzling us once again. With an opponent there in front of him offering little to no resistance, Pacquiao had nothing to fear. Of course he’d look fantastic with this type of opponent and, yes, display those flashes of the Pacquiao from many years ago. But let’s not go crazy and suddenly put him back in the top pound for pound rankings or think he can compete with the sport’s cream of the crop like Vasyl Lomachenko or Terence Crawford.

Carefully matched, Pacquiao may be able to put together some more performances like he did against Matthysse. But the story will be much different if and when he faces a top fighter in the prime of his career.

ShoBox

I love the ShoBox series on Showtime and it returns this Friday with a tripleheader. The card features one of boxing’s top prospects taking a big step up in class as well as a pair of bouts that on paper appear to be very evenly matched and should be good scraps.

In the main event, fast rising welterweight prospect Jaron Ennis (20-0, 18 KO’s) takes on Armando Alvarez (18-0, 12 KO’s) in a battle of undefeated fighters. Ennis is a former top US amateur who comes into the ring riding a ten fight knockout streak. He has exceptional hand speed and good power in both fists. Ennis is also an excellent body puncher. Perhaps his best punch is the left hook downstairs which has knocked out several previous opponents.

In Alvarez, Ennis is facing a boxer-puncher with decent skills. Alvarez likes to work behind the left jab and set up combinations behind that punch. However, he really is not a big puncher, nor can he come close to matching the speed of Ennis. But Alvarez does represent a good sized step up in class for the hot prospect Ennis. It will be interesting to see how Ennis handles it and if he can impress in what is a big opportunity headlining a televised card.

Another battle of undefeated fighters takes place in the lightweight division between Thomas Mattice (12-0, 10 KO’s) and Zhora Hamazaryan (9-0, 6 KO’s). Mattice made his ShoBox debut in February and struggled mightily for quite some time against the gritty Rolando Chinea. However, in round seven of their scheduled eight round contest, Mattice rallied to hurt and stop Chinea. In that round, Mattice showed his explosive punching power and finishing ability and that makes him a prospect to monitor. But his technique and defense need improvement. He will need to show strides in these areas to beat Hamazaryan.

Hamazaryan, who is aggressive and will rely on volume, is a better version of Chinea. He may not be a one punch guy but he does possess heavy hands. Also, Hamazaryan had a solid amateur background and is much more experienced than the record indicates. He will be a good test for Mattice in a contest that is evenly matched and should be fun to watch as it plays out.

Finally, we have Montana Love (11-0, 5 KO’s) taking on Kenneth Sims Jr. (12-1, 4 KO’s) in a 140-pound contest. The southpaw Love and orthodox fighting Sims are very similar. Each possesses decent skills but limited power. They are both boxer-punchers who like to work behind the jab and will also look for countering opportunities. I see this as a very evenly matched fight between two fighters who are mirror images of one another inside the ring. It may be tactical but should be very competitive and it will be interesting to see if someone can step up to another level in this crossroads fight.

Are We Entering a Golden Age of How Boxing is Being Broadcast?

I woke up this past Saturday morning and went about my usual routine. In the morning, I scour social media and YouTube looking for what live boxing will be broadcast that day. And it almost never fails that I can find a stream of a show, a quality legal stream at that, from somewhere in the world that can fill the day until other boxing action on more traditional platforms get underway.

On this Saturday, I found a stream on YouTube of a show from Russia promoted by RCC Boxing Promotions. The card came in crystal clear and filled most of my day until the Top Rank broadcast began later that day on both ESPN+ and ESPN.  And as I was watching wall to wall boxing, I began to think to myself about how just a few years earlier such streams as the one I easily found on YouTube were tough to find. As a fan, I could only find what was shown on television and frankly the coverage of the sport in the United States was spotty at best. Finding a quality legal stream of an international card was rare and undercards of the shows that were televised in the United States were unavailable. For a die-hard fan like myself, I wanted so much more.

Today, I have more and maybe too much more. But that’s not a bad thing. The way the sport is being broadcast is changing as fans have access to more events than ever before. Promoters in the U.S. and around the world are finding ways to get their boxing cards to the masses. And there is more on the way.

This week, Eddie Hearn will be revealing more details about his digital platform for boxing in the United States. In addition, we saw an announcement earlier this month from Golden Boy and Main Events announcing an agreement with Facebook to stream live shows. The use of digital platforms to broadcast the sport is growing and I expect it will continue to grow.

In my opinion, we have entered a golden age in how the sport is being broadcast. No longer do fans in the United States have just the main HBO or Showtime card on Saturday with maybe another smaller scale show broadcast at some point earlier in the week. Fight cards in their entirety from the U.S. and around the world are regularly available via a legal digital platform. As a die-hard fan, I could not be more excited.

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