REFEREES AND CANCIO-MACHADO II

Hi Doug,

Coming back to the mess the referees left in the WBSS cruiserweight semifinals last weekend, now we have an appeal by Glowacki. What do you think will come out of this?

Everyone was only talking about Byrd last weekend, but Eddie Claudio was just as bad in the first semifinal.

You responded to Alec in your Monday mailbag “A good ref is invisible.” 

Well, I almost saw more of Claudio than the boxers. He was saying “I have to babysit you guys” and I wondered who gonna babysit him because he wanted all the attention in that fight.

That leaves me wondering who picks the referee for a fight and how does a referee get selected for a fight, can they pick anyone? Sorry if this a simple question because I never thought about this.

I ask this because I see Raul Caiz Sr. in a lot of fights organized by Golden Boy Promotions lately. I always appreciate this because he is still on top of his game (I hope I didn’t jinx him for his next fight).

If I am with the WBSS I would try to get him or his son for the finals.

Talking about Golden Boy Promotions, I really look forward to Friday and Cancio vs Machado 2. I think Machado underestimated Cancio and will be better prepared, but I still hope Cancio wins again. Who do you think is going to win and will the fight go the distance? – Andy

Cancio and his WBA title. Photo by Tom Hogan-HoganPhotos / Golden Boy Promotions

I think it’s a legit toss-up fight, but I slightly favor Cancio. I agree that Machado was not at his best for their first fight, possibly distracted during his camp and maybe drained from making weight. However, Cancio knows how to get to the Puerto Rican southpaw, he knows how to hurt the taller man (by getting inside and attacking the body), and he’s going to be even more motivated and confident being the defending beltholder. It’s taken Cancio 13 years to get to this plateau and he’s not going to give up that ground without the fight of his life.

My hunch is that we will see a nip-and-tuck battle of attrition with both junior lightweights having their moments before a late stoppage. Nothing against Machado, I think he’s a good boxer puncher who probably belongs at lightweight, but I’m gonna ride with Chango on this one.

Everyone was only talking about Byrd last weekend, but Eddie Claudio was just as bad in the first semifinal. No, he wasn’t.

He was saying “I have to babysit you guys” and I wondered who gonna babysit him because he wanted all the attention in that fight. He did command the spotlight (which is not his role) and was a bit over-officious, but he was generally in the right; he just happened to be too verbose that night for some fans to tolerate.

That leaves me wondering who picks the referee for a fight and how does a referee get selected for a fight, can they pick anyone? The athletic commission that regulates boxing in the jurisdiction where the fight card takes place selects the referees (usually from that region if it’s used to hosting major bouts, sometimes from other cities/states/countries if it isn’t a boxing hotbed, and sometimes from a pool of registered veteran officials submitted by the sanctioning bodies if one of their titles are on the line). The promoters of the cards do not select the referees; however, they are responsible for their travel and lodging while they are in town for the fight card. So, there’s that.

I ask this because I see Raul Caiz Sr. in a lot of fights organized by Golden Boy Promotions lately. I always appreciate this because he is still on top of his game. Caiz Sr. is a veteran and a pro’s pro. His son might be better than he is. We’re spoiled with excellent referees in California (Jack Reis, Thomas Taylor, Ray Corona, Zach Young and Jerry Cantu, along with Caiz Sr. and Jr., are all world-class in my opinion).

If I am with the WBSS I would try to get him or his son for the finals. Like I said, selecting the referees (and the judges) is up to the commissions, not the promoters.

HOW OPEN IS THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION?

Sir,

Thank you for your insight every week, I enjoy your writing so much and appreciate all you do for boxing fans.

Did you hear Max Kellerman describe the heavyweight division as being “more open than people think” following Ruiz’s tremendous victory? Do you think this is true?

In retrospect, many boxing fans gave Ruiz a chance based on his hand speed, though I think we were totally caught off guard by his ring IQ, patience and sheer determination. However, are we missing any other fighters in the Top 20 of the heavyweight division with this skill set? I don’t think we are.

I have my personal favorite contenders – Kownacki, Parker, Hunter – that I would root for against anyone, but I still don’t realistically see these guys knocking off Wilder or Fury from their top slots. The rest of the division is full of heavy punchers and former world title challengers that can give Wilder or Fury trouble, but I still think those 2 (plus or minus Ruiz and Joshua) are really in a league of their own.

Speaking of Parker – why does he get no love for his victory over Ruiz? Everyone says the victory was ‘controversial’ or ‘it could have gone either way.’ This may be true, yet Ruiz was a different fighter 3 years ago and did not produce a very compelling performance that day. I saw that fight as 7-5 or 8-4 for Parker who was more active than the counter-punching and offensively timid Ruiz that day. I really think Parker laid out a blueprint for how to beat Ruiz – stay on the outside, use the jab – that could have produced victory for Joshua (albeit a slow, crowd-sleeping victory).

Anyways, I wish you a Friday mailbag free of trolls and a week of articles to edit that are free of grammatical errors (and preferably low on Canelo stories).

I also hope you have a good weekend with your family in preparation for Monday stories of what happens next for our boy Cancio after he stops Machado again. – Phil Lindholm, DuPont, WA

Cancio and Machado mean business. Cotto knows.

From your lips to God’s ears, Phil (thanks for the very kind words, by the way). Cancio can win the rematch but it won’t be easy. Machado has his pride and he’s talented, skilled and giant for the 130-pound division. If he can make weight without struggle he should be strong enough to take Cancio into the late rounds; and if he underestimated the veteran going into the first bout he certainly won’t do so again. I’m sure he’s had a top camp for the rematch and will bring a sound game plan to the ring. Having said that, Cancio is by far the toughest and most capable opponent the Puerto Rican standout has ever faced. I really don’t know who has the edge. All I know is that Cancio will be the crowd favorite (and I’ll be rooting for him from home).

Did you hear Max Kellerman describe the heavyweight division as being “more open than people think” following Ruiz’s tremendous victory? Do you think this is true? Yes, I do. I think on a good night any of the top five or six heavyweights could score a victory against each other. I don’t see an unbeatable or dominant champion, and I think that’s a good thing.

In retrospect, many boxing fans gave Ruiz a chance based on his hand speed, though I think we were totally caught off guard by his ring IQ, patience and sheer determination. Very few boxing fans gave Ruiz a chance based on anything and the ones loudly claiming that they did are liars.

However, are we missing any other fighters in the Top 20 of the heavyweight division with this skill set? I don’t think we are. How do you know? Have you studied several fights of each of the 20 best heavyweights? I think Luis Ortiz and Alexander Povetkin have skillsets that are every bit as high as Ruiz’s. They aren’t as young or dynamic  as Andy, and they have different styles, but their “ring IQ” is right there with his (arguably higher).

I have my personal favorite contenders – Kownacki, Parker, Hunter – that I would root for against anyone, but I still don’t realistically see these guys knocking off Wilder or Fury from their top slots. I wouldn’t count Parker or Kownacki out against Wilder.

The rest of the division is full of heavy punchers and former world title challengers that can give Wilder or Fury trouble, but I still think those 2 (plus or minus Ruiz and Joshua) are really in a league of their own. I view Fury as the best heavyweight right now, but he’s not unbeatable. None of them are. Wilder could starch the big man cold in their rematch. Or Fury could totally outclass Wilder from start to finish. I can envision Ruiz knocking out Wilder, and Joshua putting a beating on Fury for 12 rounds. And on a good night, I can see Dillian Whyte beating any one of the top four (Fury, Wilder, Ruiz and Joshua).

Speaking of Parker – why does he get no love for his victory over Ruiz? Well, for starters, that fight took place two and half years ago, and while it was a decent scrap, it wasn’t exactly Holmes-Norton. Both heavyweights were more prospect than contender when they fought, and your boy Parker boxed a rather negative fight to a legitimately close decision in his home country. It didn’t help Parker’s bragging rights that Ruiz disappeared for more than a year after that loss. Until Ruiz’s recent comeback, most figured that Parker, who had struggled with Hughie Fury after the Ruiz bout, was just good enough to outpoint a fat underachiever. But, obviously, that victory looks a lot better now.

QUICK QUESTION

Dougie,

What are your thoughts on Paulie Malignaggi fighting in a bare knuckle match this weekend? Thanks. – Steve

Quick answer: To each their own.

I have no thoughts on Malignaggi or anyone who participates in the BKB. It’s not my cup of tea but I have no problem with it.  

ESPN’S MORAL COMPASS, HEARNS MISMANAGEMENT, PBC’S SUCCESS

Hi Dougie,

I watched Fury’s last fight, hard to judge his impressive skills when he is fighting a tomato can. That being said I found it putrid how feted he was by ESPN leading up to the fight. I get it. It is all about the Benjamins. That being said Fury has on numerous occasions made sickening and vile comments about, woman, Jews and LGBT people not to mention steroid use. I believe there is no place for this in society.

I am not advocating that boxers must all be well mannered and upstanding gentlemen. Sure there are jerks in every sport and I won’t be so naive to think boxing of all sports would care about these things, they sure didn’t with Floyd or Pac. There are also plenty of classy heavyweights like Wlad and Vitali, Lennox and Holmes, etc.

What I find disturbing is that ESPN a major network owned by Disney can unabashedly ignore this in their lust to promote Fury. I mean look how fast ABC (a Disney owned channel) axed Roseanne for her comments, you think if someone from Modern Family spewed the crap Fury did they would not kick that actor off the show immediately?

I know as a boxing writer you have to look at these things a little more nuanced regardless of the fact you probably find those statements vile. However, don’t you think ESPN has crossed a line here? I am not saying they should not put on Fury fights just lets not pretend he is Gandhi and or some sort of amazing human interest example we all need to get behind.

On another note what do you think of Eddie Hearn? My view from afar is he is a good promoter but lacks the experience of managing what is best for his fighter. Putting Joshua back in with Ruiz so quickly does not seem like good tactics. Do you agree? Should they not build him back up carefully? If he loses to Ruiz or even has a tough time I think he could put his career in serious jeopardy.

Finally, what do you think of PBC success? I know they had some fits and starts out of the gate but look at them now. They easily have the best boxers in the business, control welterweight division and have one of the heavyweight belts. They are now selling their product to Fox, Showtime etc vs. buying air time and with the rumors they are going to be bought by Endevour. I would say Haymon has been extremely successful in a sport that traditionally is highly fragmented.

Regards. – Aaron in Miami

I think Haymon will do very well with the sell of the PBC brand, if that happens. He’s a great businessman and advisor. He’s not a great promoter, however, which is why there are still four welterweight beltholders despite his holding controlling interest in three of them for several years. He doesn’t make the big fights when they need to happen and he doesn’t take risks when its in the best interest of his star fighters. He should have rolled the dice with Wilder either traveling to the UK to fight Anthony Joshua or taking DAZN’s ridiculously generous three-fight deal. Instead, he’s only willing to risk his lesser talents (or those who he perceives as the lesser stars), which is why Andy Ruiz wound up in the ring and is now the holder of three major belts (but is also contractually obligated to give Joshua an immediate rematch wherever they want to do it). Had the dice been rolled with Wilder, Haymon and his organization could have been the team behind an undisputed American heavyweight champion. Same deal with Errol Spence. There is no reason to have him fight Shawn Porter if a fair deal can be reached with Terence Crawford’s side. That’s a 50-50 fight. If his guy wins, he becomes a Sugar Ray Leonard-level star in the U.S. Even if he loses a competitive fight, his stature would still be elevated. But Haymon is what he is: a Harvard business school grad and a calculating manager. The sport would be very healthy if Haymon had some street smarts and hustle in him like his fellow Cleveland native Don King. “The Don” was a tyrant but when he promoted the majority of top boxing talent in several division he MADE the fights that fans wanted to see. That’s what Haymon needs to do with his vast PBC stable (since his network partners are not forcing his hand).

I watched Fury’s last fight, hard to judge his impressive skills when he is fighting a tomato can. True, but if you’re not convinced of his skills by now you probably never will be.

That being said I found it putrid how feted he was by ESPN leading up to the fight. Did that treatment really surprise you?

I get it. It is all about the Benjamins. Yes, it is, especially with major sports media conglomerates that invest millions of dollars in signing individual fighters to a multi-fight deals.

That being said Fury has on numerous occasions made sickening and vile comments about, woman, Jews and LGBT people not to mention steroid use. I believe there is no place for this in society. I agree, but boxing has never been a bastion of enlightenment or political correctness. I’m not saying that it can’t or won’t get better, but this sport is always going to be home to fighters, trainers, promoters, and especially fans that spew all kinds of craziness and hate.

I am not advocating that boxers must all be well mannered and upstanding gentlemen. That would be nice and all, but also really boring.

Sure there are jerks in every sport and I won’t be so naive to think boxing of all sports would care about these things, they sure didn’t with Floyd or Pac. There are also plenty of classy heavyweights like Wlad and Vitali, Lennox and Holmes, etc. True. So, cheer for and support the classy boxers; boo and refuse to support the scumbags.

What I find disturbing is that ESPN a major network owned by Disney can unabashedly ignore this in their lust to promote Fury. I suppose it doesn’t matter to you that Fury released an apology statement (in May 2016) for his ugly tirade (during one of the lowest points of his hiatus from boxing), but do you really think ESPN would bring up all of those nasty comments he made during his debut on their network? Did HBO or Showtime commentators bring up Mayweather’s past domestic violence incidents during the pay-per-view shows he headlined?

Joe Tessitore: Here comes Tyson Fury, the lineal heavyweight champion of the world and infamous homophobe and anti-Semite.

Tim Bradley: That’s true, Joe. Champ’s got no love for them Jews.

Andre Ward: Or the gays.

Max Kellerman: Let’s not forget those of the transgender community. He probably hates them the most.

Mark Kriegel: From what I understand, his father passed on an intense dislike and paranoia for a wide variety of ethnic and religious groups, as well as zero tolerance for those of differing sexual or gender orientation.

Tessitore: That’s our champ!

Yeah, that’s not ever gonna happen.

I mean look how fast ABC (a Disney owned channel) axed Roseanne for her comments, you think if someone from Modern Family spewed the crap Fury did they would not kick that actor off the show immediately? Of course, they’d be fired and likely blacklisted from working on any other major TV or film production for several years, maybe indefinitely. But that’s Hollywood. That’s the TV industry. Boxing is entertainment but it ain’t Hollywood, Aaron. You know that.

I know as a boxing writer you have to look at these things a little more nuanced regardless of the fact you probably find those statements vile. I viewed Fury’s statements (at the time he made them) as sick comments from a sick man. And he was sick. He’d be the first to admit that. But he said that s__t three years ago, and as far as I know he hasn’t repeated it since making his apology. So, the world moves on.

However, don’t you think ESPN has crossed a line here? Not really. I just think they overdid the promotion of Fury’s debut on their network. Maybe now that they’ve established to their viewers that Fury is the “lineal heavyweight champion,” they’ll take a closer (and more honest) look at who he really is (warts and all) in the build-up to his next fight on ESPN.

I am not saying they should not put on Fury fights just lets not pretend he is Gandhi and or some sort of amazing human interest example we all need to get behind. LOL. I don’t think they compared him to Gandhi. Do you remember when HBO aired a special called “Floyd Mayweather: Speaking Out” in 2012, not long after Mayweather was sentenced to six months in jail for attacking the mother of his children and a few months before he fought Miguel Cotto on HBO PPV? On that show Mayweather, who was interviewed by respected journalist Michael Eric Dyson, compared himself to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X (because, you know, they served time, too). Dyson didn’t call him on that bulls__t or any other stupid statement he made. It is what it is with these networks that sink millions of dollars into exclusive contracts with individual fighters.

On another note what do you think of Eddie Hearn? I think he’s a freakin’ giant, a charming bloke, a snazzy dresser, and a very good promoter who generally puts on entertaining shows. The two best boxing cards I’ve covered this year, the show headlined by the Sor Rungvisai-Estrada rematch at the Forum in Inglewood, California and Joshua-Ruiz at the Mecca of Boxing, were promoted by Sir Eddie.

My view from afar is he is a good promoter but lacks the experience of managing what is best for his fighter. Maybe that’s because he’s a promoter and not a manager or (ahem) an advisor.

Putting Joshua back in with Ruiz so quickly does not seem like good tactics. Do you agree? Only time will tell. It’s certainly a risk. But high stakes make for good stories and intriguing matchups. I’m OK with that.

Should they not build him back up carefully? That’s one road that Team AJ could take. However, maybe they don’t believe that Joshua is Humpty Dumpty. Maybe they know what they have to do be victorious in the rematch.

If he loses to Ruiz or even has a tough time I think he could put his career in serious jeopardy. That’s true, especially in this era of boxing. Like I said, it’s high stakes.

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter and IG at @dougiefischer, and watch him on Periscope every Sunday from SMC track.