Joe Cortez: Opinions devided

Sorry guys... My computer freaked out before i could finish my poll properly. So ive had to reset the poll in order to correct my mistakes. If your presented with a chance to revote (which you should be) please do so.

Anyway, here goes....





Now. I know the fight was between Mayweather & Hatton only. But there is always a third man involved. And that third man has caused quite a bit of controversy in only a few days. So...

This poll is in place to obtain a clear picture of how we gaged Joe Cortez' performance last Saturday.

Was he Biased. Was he incompetent. Was he well within his rights and made the perfect calls all night?

You tell me :)

btw, ive allowed for you to change your opinion, should someone manage to sway you later on ;)

Three points:

1.I didnt see Floyd hitting with his arms...I saw him put his forearms against Rickys face and body but not hit with them. Would have been very harsh to take a point for that.


2.Ricky purposely tried to hit PBF in the back of the head. Instant point deduction spot on.


3.Cortez was too eager to break the fight up in the early rounds but as the fight went on he let things flow better and only really broke them when they got tied.


Not a great reffing performance and maybe he could have been a bit more even handed but it was a difficult fight to ref and I thought for the most part he did a good job.

I voted "What Fouls?"

Both of them were fighting a lil bit dirty, but I have seen much worse in Boxing. I don't think Joe is biased as much as intolerant to certain things that take place in a fight.

I do think Hatton would have been better served by someone like Steve Smoger as the third man. I do not think it would have changed the end result though.

I block with my elbows, no foul.

i thought he was SLIGHTLY biased against Hatton if im honest....BUT its being overplayed by the english media over here and by PBF haters!

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Originally Posted by Missy

I block with my elbows, no foul.

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I am going to have to post where not even you will be able to deny what Floyd did. It was not a block but he used his force with both hands to hit Ricky in the jaw with his elbow.
I hate to make you look bad but you are asking for it with comments like the one you just made. BRB

OKAY GUYS. I HAVE RESETED THE POLL, SO YOU WILL HAVE TO VOTE AGAIN. SORRY, TOUCH OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION THERE :P

AGAIN, SORRY!

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Originally Posted by Irish Rover

2.Ricky purposely tried to hit PBF in the back of the head. Instant point deduction spot on.

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Agree with your points, Irish, and wanted to add that Cortez had warned Hatton at least twice for hitting behind the head prior to the deduction.

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Originally Posted by Irish Rover

Three points:

1.I didnt see Floyd hitting with his arms...I saw him put his forearms against Rickys face and body but not hit with them. Would have been very harsh to take a point for that.


2.Ricky purposely tried to hit PBF in the back of the head. Instant point deduction spot on.


3.Cortez was too eager to break the fight up in the early rounds but as the fight went on he let things flow better and only really broke them when they got tied.


Not a great reffing performance and maybe he could have been a bit more even handed but it was a difficult fight to ref and I thought for the most part he did a good job.

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#3 is dead on - couldn't agree more.

I voted Joe Cortez' judgement was by the book Which, according to a certain source, it was.

The only thing i can say is that Floyd has exposed a glaring flaw in the rule book.
You should, by no means be aloud to keep you forearm in your opponents face. Regardless.

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Originally Posted by uptoscratch

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Originally Posted by Irish Rover

2.Ricky purposely tried to hit PBF in the back of the head. Instant point deduction spot on.

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Agree with your points, Irish, and wanted to add that Cortez had warned Hatton at least twice for hitting behind the head prior to the deduction.

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Floyd was ducking below the waist and then coming up under Hatton's armpit at the same time Floyd was holding and turning his body and his head and that was the only target Hatton had.
How many times did Cortez warn Floyd about the elbows? A lot of times but he never took a point away. Why was Cortes warning Floyd if all Floyd was doing was defending himself? You don't warn someone for something for no reason. I agree that Hatton was hitting Floyd in the back of the head, Floyd did it too. I will be back with some video footage. You know how I do it. ;)~

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Originally Posted by Irish Rover

1.I didnt see Floyd hitting with his arms...I saw him put his forearms against Rickys face and body but not hit with them. Would have been very harsh to take a point for that.

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The issue is not with 'hitting' with the arm. More 'shoving'. Are you saying you didn't see that?

I hope Danny G has a good pic somewhere. I see an evil one in the Sun Newspaper Monday morning.

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Originally Posted by The Grinch

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Originally Posted by Irish Rover

1.I didnt see Floyd hitting with his arms...I saw him put his forearms against Rickys face and body but not hit with them. Would have been very harsh to take a point for that.

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The issue is not with 'hitting' with the arm. More 'shoving'. Are you saying you didn't see that?

I hope Danny G has a good pic somewhere. I see an evil one in the Sun Newspaper Monday morning.

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I have plenty of pics but video footage with normal, slowmo and reverse action included will be much better. It's what I am working on right now. Give me a few.

Cool ;)

Anyothers care to cast their opinion?

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Originally Posted by The Grinch

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Originally Posted by Irish Rover

1.I didnt see Floyd hitting with his arms...I saw him put his forearms against Rickys face and body but not hit with them. Would have been very harsh to take a point for that.

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The issue is not with 'hitting' with the arm. More 'shoving'. Are you saying you didn't see that?

I hope Danny G has a good pic somewhere. I see an evil one in the Sun Newspaper Monday morning.

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Its a fight. Ricky knew that, Floyd knew that, Joe Cortez knew that. People are blowing it all out of proportion.


Ricky's game plan was to make things uncomfortable for Floyd, push him about, wrestle him, keep coming forward at him. He thought he had Mayweather that way, in his own words "Floyd wont stand toe to toe because he knows he will be eaten" but to his surprise Mayweather could brawl to when he had to.


I dont want to come across as a Mayweather fan boy at all, I would have no problem telling it if I saw things differently but I think people are just clutching at straws and it is being blown out of proportion.

I voted #2, but I have to qualify it somewhat - I don't think he is incompetent, I just think he made some bad decisions and had a rough beginning. Could have been from nerves, or just getting caught up in the "Hatton holds and mauls" expectation.

I was cussing him pretty bad for the first few rounds. He barely let em make contact before breaking em up. Horrible.

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Originally Posted by Irish Rover

I dont want to come across as a Mayweather fan boy at all, I would have no problem telling it if I saw things differently but I think people are just clutching at straws and it is being blown out of proportion.

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Wow. ''Clucthing at straws'', ''blowing things out of proportion''?

These are far from the truth im my case. So i would like to clear MY name in that regard... I make no issue over the fact that Hatton was severly outclassed. See the link in place of my sig? Click it and you will see what i have been saying for months.

I just feel that Floyd was allowed to get away with a lot in that fight, and i say that regardles to the fact that Hatton himself was aloud to get away with many things throughout his own career.

I am a fan boy, but i wouldn't let that cloud my own judgement.

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Originally Posted by The Grinch

The issue is not with 'hitting' with the arm. More 'shoving'.

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Yes, but I think that's why it would have been unusual for Cortez to penalize Floyd. For a referee to take a point in a fight like this, it usually has to be something that's dangerous and/or gives an unfair advantage -- i.e. rabbit punching or low blows or head butts, etc.

If Floyd had been *hitting* Hatton with the elbow, he certainly would have been penalized, but he never really crossed into that territory. I mean, if you'd penalized Floyd for what he was doing, Bernard Hopkins would never be able to fight again.

When one fighter leads with his shoulder and the other leads with his face, you have to kind of expect that an elbow is going to get in between them once in awhile. Was it borderline for Floyd to shove off with them? Sure, but Hatton's problem was more with Floyd's fists.

I voted 'he was biased'

However Hatton wouldn't have won even if Micky Vann was the referee... ;D

I'll list my reasons now....

1: Cortez broke the fighters up early on everytime they got close. He didn't let them do any inside work and that takes away probably about 50% of Hatton's game (altho we later found out floyd was awesome on the inside - cortez wasn't to know this until later on)

2: The minute Hatton was cut, Cortez decided it was ok for them to fight on the inside. This is what pissed me off the most.

3: Cortez coming over to Hatton's corner after the 8th to warn him he's going to stop the fight if he takes some more flush shots.....this was just after Floyd had unleashed a barrage on the ropes where maybe 3 or 4 punches landed. That was all. The fact that Ricky Hatton actually had a perfectly coherant conversation with Cortez supports the fact that he wasn't in any trouble

4: The points deduction - open to interpretation but imo it was very very harsh. Basically if a fighter bows down to your waistline and basically turns his back on you, he is bound to take one to the back of the head. Where else are you able to land a punch? Don't get me wrong, those sort of punches are highly dangerous but imo Floyd's bowing down to Hatton's waistline was main cause of it.

Its also worth remembering that Cortez was pretty biased against Castillo when Hatton fought him in June. Not quite sure why......any ideas?

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Originally Posted by Floyd_Fears_Cotto

Why was Cortes warning Floyd if all Floyd was doing was defending himself? You don't warn someone for something for no reason.

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YUP

I din't vot cuz none of the options really relates to what I think. Which is, he was way too involved in the fight for the first 3 rounds. After that he did ok.

I do have one problem in that he took a point away from Hatton for missing a shot behind the head and at the end of the very next round Mayweather really does hit Ricky behind the head while Ricky had his back turned on a break and Joe did not even warn him. Whether it was incompetance or biased behavior I leave to you to decide.

But honestly guys, what frigin difference does it make.

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Originally Posted by The Rookie Fan

But honestly guys, what frigin difference does it make.

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Im one of these guys who thinks. ''Well okay, Floyd was the better man by far, but i want as many people to know that the Ref had a hand in this''.

I could be... No in fact, in many was, i AM wrong. But theres an element of my point that is too hard to fully explain without a huge debate that i wish for people to observe and take on board.

Not that it makes much of a difference.

Its hilarious how the Hatton fans are all up on arms about Cortez being biased, yet in Ricky's biggest win (tszyu) Dave Parris refereed in Hattons favor the whole fight. Ask Hattons fans about this and they'll deny it or say it would have not made a difference to the outcome.
Yet when the shoe is on the other foot see some of them cry.
Anyone who votes for the first option is in denial.

Id actually like to know who said Cortez was being biased.