Ok, first things first ...you gotta understand the Chris Byrd-Fres Oquendo meeting for the IBF share of the big title was held up there in the land of the Connecticut Yankee - an area that pretty much translates, in this century 21, to a boxing mentality that's best described as easily as A-B-C ... as in Pazienza, Ward, Rosenblat - one semi-retired and two gone with the wind.

Point is, if it ain't Gatti-Ward it's not a fight ... on that note, let's go to the ring action:

Opening bell starts on an odd note ... something doesn't seem all that right ... what we have is two counter-punchers waitin' for permission to toss some leather ... wasn't long before the back row, beer chugging, I'll hold your jacket types began venting its spleen ... thought maybe I was back at the Garden during a hockey game ... shout went like "BS, BS, BS" ... like that.

What they were missing was strategy ... with Fres baby doing the early choreography ... and for Byrd, a first time role of "other" guy trying to cope with frustration ... Fres would stick to the jab-counter when Byrd threatened.

So it goes the full route with Oquendo appearing a winner after twelve lackluster stanzas of jab, feint and wait ... but then the scoring: all three ringside hacks had it for Byrd by scores of 115-113, 116-112, 117-111.

My take under the less corrupt, round by round system, had Oquendo winning 7-5.

Final comments: More a question than comment but anyone else come away with the feeling referee Eddie Cotton is a bit too quick in the grab & break routine? Maybe missed a decisive late round knockdown that could have helped Oquendo in the scoring department ... and officials are not intended to have physical influence in end results.

Semper fi,

GEL

9-19-2003

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