The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) has come out against the concept of open scoring in boxing matches. The announcement comes after the WBC (World Boxing Council) stated at its recent annual meeting that it would continue to announce the judges’ scorecards after the fourth and eighth round of championship fights.
However, some countries such as the USA don’t follow the open-scoring concept because their commissions don’t allow it. WBC President Jose Sulaiman said in these nations, a WBC representative would let each boxer know the scores by visiting their corners between rounds and informing them. The ABC offered several scenarios where it said the open scoring wouldn’t work properly and it could result in boxers trying to take advantage of the scores to manipulate the outcomes of fights.
The ABC feels if a boxer knows the score after the fourth round and has received a cut from an accidental head butt then his corner might not try to stop the bleeding. This is because as soon as four rounds are completed in a boxing match and a fight has to be stopped due to an accidental foul then the bout goes to the scorecards. If he has a lead the corner could ignore the cut to the point where the fight is stopped due to excessive bleeding.
The ABC also feels if one boxer is well ahead on points then he might decide to stick and move for the rest of the bout or just try to avoid being hit. The fighter who is behind would then chase him around the ring knowing he needs a knockout to win. In addition, if a fighter knows he can’t possibly win on points he may just decide to quit as there’s no incentive to fight anymore.
According to the ABC, a referee would likely step in to stop a fight when somebody’s in trouble knowing that a boxer is far behind on the scorecards. The organization also feels if fans know the scores then they could influence or intimidate the judges by becoming vocal or perhaps even hostile, especially if a hometown fighter is behind in the bout. The last argument against open scoring the ABC gave was that fight strategy could possibly be changed drastically after the eighth round.
If any representative of a boxing commission such as the WBC attempts to notify the fighters between rounds what the scores are the ABC said they should be removed immediately from the ringside area. The ABC said it will invite all of the sanctioning bodies in boxing to discuss the matter further during its annual meeting in July.
Many fans feel the only legitimate argument the ABC presented was regarding a fighter trying to win a bout by retiring after the fourth round due to an accidental head butt. A boxer trying to run or avoid fighting while having a lead is a tactic of the sport and is in often used regardless if his corner knows the scores or not. Regarding a fighter quitting if he knows he’s so far behind, it would be up to the individual fighter, but it’s unlikely anybody would throw in the towel while behind on points due to the damage it could do to his career.
Hometown fans will cheer for their favorite fighters no matter what the score is or if their aware of it or not. It’s up to the judges to do their job the same way it is for a referee to step in and stop a fight at the right moment. The point about tactics changing drastically after the eighth round in nonsensical since good boxers are able to adapt to all situations. That’s what the sport’s all about.
It’s obvious one of the biggest problems boxing faces is the scoring system. If open scoring helps reduce the controversial decision then most fans would probably be all for it.
