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After
having spoken with several boxing professionals working the championship bout,
and having watched over and over the grainy images of the shameful fight's round
eleven, I still had my reservations about writing this story. Kendall Holt is a
friend, and an active supporter of the Retired Boxers Foundation; he usually
wears an RBF patch on his boxing trunks. The last thing I would want to do
is insult him, and also tarnish my image, by writing a biased piece on another
fighter who simply said he "got robbed" fighting in his opponent's backyard.
This is not that type
of story, and being as unbiased and 100% neutral, as every writer must always
be, everything about that WBO Jr. Welterweight title fight before, during and
after, proves that the only way Kendall Holt had any chance of getting out of
Colombia with the title belt in his luggage would have been if he had knocked
champion Ricardo Torres out cold - and even then Genaro Rodriguez, (a poor
excuse for a professional referee), may have added another inexcusable blunder
during his embarrassingly pitiful job to not let that happen.
I'm not going to discuss the early knockdown of Torres, which Rodriguez ruled a
slip, or the fact that after a Holt shot dropped Torres flat on his back late in
round 6, Rodriguez insisted on the corner getting dried, delaying the start of
round seven, giving the champion extra time to recover.
We won't bring up the
fact that after scoring the big sixth round knockdown, Holt got smacked in
the face with a beer can, tossed in from the stands. Rodriguez had no reaction
when notified by Holt.
What needs to be addressed is the unthinkable and totally out of control chaos
that referee Rodriguez failed to correct, or even acknowledge, during the final
minutes of round eleven, the eventual end of the fight.
After a thunderous
left hook by Torres drove Holt into the ropes, a proper knockdown, the 1,600+ in
attendance at the Barranquilla Jumbo Salon Country Club in lustful exuberance
for their hero, tossed beer cans, bottles and ice into the ring; dangerously
littering and dousing the canvas. Not only was Holt trying to survive the
onslaught of the knockout-minded twenty-seven year old Colombian, who was making
the first defense of his title, the Paterson, New Jersey native now also had to
contend with the perils of falling, getting cut or even getting hit with another
beer can or flying debris while trying to clear the cobwebs and stave off his
powerful opponent.
Not once during these
dangerous moments - with Torres and Rodriguez also in harm's way - did referee
Rodriguez ever consider calling for time, so as to clear the ring canvas of all
the beer, ice and debris.
Rodriguez told Herald
News boxing writer Keith Idec after the fight, "Obviously, if I stopped the
round because of the slippery floor, then he (Holt) has got an opportunity to
recover. OK? So, I have to make a decision. In the neutral corner, when I
stopped the fight, he (Holt) was unresponsive. He was taking punches, and
(when) the life of a man is in jeopardy, it's my duty to safeguard that."
At the time of the stoppage Holt, now 22-2 (12 KO's) is throwing a punch and
then vehemently, and clearheadedly, disputes the fight's abrupt end.
Prior to that fateful Torres left hook and going into the eleventh road, Kendall
Holt was leading on two of the three judges' scorecards. Only the Colombian
judge had Torres ahead. That's another story in itself, a Colombian judge and
another judge whose last name just happens to be Torres. Where else, but the
boxing business, would this insinuation of a conflict of interest even be
allowed to happen?
Nowhere else.
According to several of Holt's handlers, afterwards in the hotel lobby, a still
seething Holt wrongfully lashed out, verbally, to Genaro Rodriguez, whom the
twenty-six year old fighter felt was personally responsible for him not being a
champion at that very moment. To the shock and disbelief of all present,
Rodriguez aggressively outdid the defeated Holt, spewing his own tirade of
expletives and challenging Team Holt. Fortunately for all, cooler heads
prevailed and Holt's night in futility was finally over.
While his behavior was not proper or excusable, in light of the situation Holt
could be afforded some leeway for his outburst. What cannot -and must not- be
condoned is the absolute unprofessional actions of a supposedly licensed,
professional, official representing the World Boxing Organization acting like an
idiotic fool. Rodriguez proved himself to be an inept referee in a boxing match
of the highest magnitude, which had career, and life altering implications to
many people. Outside the ring, Rodriguez further embarrassed himself, and his
profession, with actions so absurd and surreal that a full review is warranted
prior to, if ever again, letting this incompetent Chicago-based referee in the
ring to work.
One thing that must not be overshadowed in all this mess is the absolute
championship will and heart of Ricardo Torres. The ever courageous battler who
came up on the short end of a knockdown, drag out slugfest against then
140-pound champion Miguel Cotto (09/25/05 KO7), proved his championship mettle
by hanging in there with the highly talented Holt, and forcing the action in
that fateful round eleven. Never giving up or taking a backward step Torres
caught Holt with a monster left hook late in the round, and sensing his foe was
hurt did what he had to do to keep his title.
Whatever complaints Kendall Holt and his team have, none of them can be
attributed to Ricardo Torres, who fought his heart out. His fortitude and no
quit approach for the entire fight put him in the position to win, and once that
opportunity presented itself, Torres, now 32-1 (28 KO's), acted like a true
champion and seized the moment.
So much talk recently has been focused on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and how this
form of fighting has garnered a big chunk of the boxing viewership, and
subsequently the bigger Pay-Per-View dollars, and sponsorship money. The
so-called "experts" will try to determine the reasons why this trend has
developed, as well as its cause and effect.
Bottom line is this,
boxing is here to stay and will always be here. MMA has taken the smart
business approach; more regulation, stricter guidelines and a respectful
attitude for what it sees as most important - their fans! MMA fans know that
they can expect to see matches where more often than not the better man - that
night - will win the fight, and at no time will a referee or judge have a
wrongful impact in the outcome of a bout.
At no time would you ever see the disgraceful conduct witnessed in Colombia
allowed to happen, and continue to persist, during an MMA fight card, or the
actions of a bungling referee like Genaro Rodriguez being tolerated, and most
important - worthy fighters like Kendall Holt would not be denied their
championships.
Kendall Holt has traveled back home, with a loss instead of a title belt. The
World Boxing Organization and its President, Francisco Valcarcel, Esq., now have
the opportunity, as well as the obligation, to do what is proper in regards to
this debacle. Time will tell if their business approach and respect for the
boxing fan is paramount in their overall decision. Let's hope so - then we can
look forward to Ricardo Torres-Kendall Holt ll. This time the fight won't be
held in Colombia and referee Genaro Rodriguez will not be allowed anywhere near
the arena, let alone the inside of a boxing ring.
Mike Indri
RBFNJMIKE@aol.com
9-16-2007
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