Boxing needs instant replay

[tedsares]

Rodriguez-Collins

On Friday night’s ESPN fight, all action fighter Delvin Rodriguez met talented Keenan Collins (12-2-1 with 8 Kos) of Reading, Pa., who was coming off a split decision loss. D-Rod entered the bout with a 20-2-1 record with 12 knockouts, and was coming off a KO loss to Jesse Feliciano for the USBA welterweight title. In that televised thriller, Rodriguez, dominated the early rounds, but was eventually worn down and savagely taken out by the non-stop pressure of Feliciano.

Both fighters were looking for redemption, but unfortunately both came away empty as an “accidental head-butt“ by Rodriguez opened a deep cut on the forehead of Collins in the second round and led to their scheduled 10-round welterweight bout Friday night being called a no-contest.

After a slow start, D-Rod caught fire in the second stanza, asserted himself, and made it pretty clear how this fight would end. The Collins corner, quickly seeming to recognize their fighter was in a place that was only going to get worse, contended the cut was too deep for him to continue. The fight was then halted by the doctor. Perhaps a slick move on the part of Collins’s corner, but just another questionable one for boxing.

As the replay clearly showed, there was no butt, or at least none that was caught on the tapes. There was, however, a strong slashing right (the kind that cuts) that hit Collins exactly on the spot where the cut occurred. Still, Referee Eddie Claudio maintained the cut was the result of an accidental head butt.

Well, it was either one or the other, but based on what I saw (or didn’t see), I say the former. Indeed, most corners will not argue for the fight to be stopped under such conditions. But there is one way to find out and hopefully the New York State boxing commission will use it by reviewing the tapes.

Manifestly, a boxing match should never be stopped while some judge watches a 3-minute replay of a round, but if the 60 seconds between rounds is enough time for the TV editors to give us replays of the hardest punches, ones that might have caused cuts, there is more than enough time for judges to watch those same replays? If Teddy Atlas or Joe Tessitore can do it in 30 seconds, surely a referee can as well.

It’s time for state commissions to get smart and start taking advantage of technology, albeit carefully, to help the referees and other officials make the right calls.

[:::PSL:::]

I've seen that fight. That was whack. The cut was caused by a punch, not a headbutt.

[tedsares]

Absolutley!

[Tins06]

Funnily enough i was discussing video playback with one of my works mates earlier today and he had a very good point about it....it takes all the controversy out of the sport.....although it would be good you know ...everything spot on all the time...but we wouldn't have this thread.....

no controversy....it just wouldn't be boxing without controversy would it

[donnydarkoIRL]

Video playback has its pros n cons as best illustrated in rugby.

The obvious pro is that the right decision will be made.
However, an independent ajudicator will need to be utilised and time will be wasted. This could be detrimental in a boxing match.

[The Rookie Fan]

Under no sircumstances should a fight be delayed to watch a replay. However in the time between when the fight is halted and when the decision is made, there can be an official reviewing the tapes to make sure of the cause of the cut. Then make a ruling based on what he saw.

The doctor stopping the fight should be irrelavent of the cause. And if a corner asked the dontor to check on his boxer and the doctor stops the fight. Then the tape showes the cut was from a punch. It should be ruled a TKO. The corner can't go back and say "but I though it was from a head but".

[tedsares]

Funnily enough i was discussing video playback with one of my works mates earlier today and he had a very good point about it....it takes all the controversy out of the sport.....although it would be good you know ...everything spot on all the time...but we wouldn't have this thread.....

no controversy....it just wouldn't be boxing without controversy would it

point taken

[headson]

new jersey has a replay sytem i think

[DaxxKahn]

I agree to an extent on instant replay....The replay should only be used on cuts or knockdowns.....

EG like in the Rodriguez fight....The replay should be viewd by a seperate referee during the break between rdsa then be relayed to the in ring ref if it was a cut or butt.....This way the fight is not delayed....

Samne be said for knockdows that are questionable...eg slip or punch type situations that we see all the time.....Ref should treat it as a knockdown if questionable do the standard count ect.....

it should be reviewed between rds and relayed to the in ring ref and judges if it was knockdown or slip so not to interupt the momentum of the fight..............

ONLY DURING QUESTIONABLE SITUATIONS THOUGH....and NEVER DURING THE ROUND OR DELAY THE START OF A NEW ROUND

[C-Lo]

they definitely need to use replays for fights. regardless, ive seen fights go on with worse situations than that. i think the fighter and his corner knew things were going wrong so they found a way to dodge a loss.

look at what tennis has been doing. they had that radar system to track down where the ball ACTUALLY landed so the fans can see and could not be used by players. now, players are given challenges using the radar system when they think the line judges are wrong. and it's been very successful pointing out that even referees make mistakes.

REPLAYS NEEDS TO BE USED IN BOXING!!! Examples like Barrera knocking down Marquez in round 7 was too obvious of a knockdown to miss. Also, Barrera knocking down Pacquiao in round 1 should've been overturned with the use of a replay (not that it wouldve changed the outcome of the fight).

[Mar]

I for one hate replay in any sport...human error is part of the game, what happened this weekend was absolutly ridicculous but it wasn't cause they missed it, it was just simply a group of people not doing thier jobs. Football is the worst, if it looks like a catch it is if it doesn't it ain't, all this slow motion let's see if the guys pinky on his right hand is under the ball for that millisecond review they do is horrible and i wouldn't want that in boxing or any other sport as well. The ref's in the fight this weekend are just idiots show them the tape dicipline them and find someone that can do the job, mistakes will be made i can live with that. Even with replay teams are getting screwed it just takes longer to screw em, ask the raiders about the foward motion call. Everyone saw the play and the replay and the wrong call was still made, you just have idiots backing up other idiots calls is all.

[Beanflicker]

Agreed, boxing should be taking advantage of technology. All other sports have, why does boxing insist on staying in the stone age?

[donnydarkoIRL]

Because boxing is essentialy a stone age sport, a competition between 2 combatants to see who hasa the superior physical and mental ability.

[Preme]

I agree to an extent on instant replay....The replay should only be used on cuts or knockdowns.....

EG like in the Rodriguez fight....The replay should be viewd by a seperate referee during the break between rdsa then be relayed to the in ring ref if it was a cut or butt.....This way the fight is not delayed....

Samne be said for knockdows that are questionable...eg slip or punch type situations that we see all the time.....Ref should treat it as a knockdown if questionable do the standard count ect.....

it should be reviewed between rds and relayed to the in ring ref and judges if it was knockdown or slip so not to interupt the momentum of the fight..............

ONLY DURING QUESTIONABLE SITUATIONS THOUGH....and NEVER DURING THE ROUND OR DELAY THE START OF A NEW ROUND

CC i agree (kinda)

They only thing i would say is that it a replay should never interupt a round... if it was put in place then it should simply be 1 guy 1 tv, anything brought into question I.E a knockdown, a non knock down... as long as it is sorted before a certain point it doesn't matter...

If a guy gets knocked down in the latter parts of round say 5, there is no sense rushing to find out if it was legit or not in the 6o seconds and making a possibly rushed decision, as long as the guy who is going it is outside of the ring he can carry on doing it through the next round if he has to, it doesnt mean the fight can't go on... as long as a fighte rknows in enough time i would see no reason why it should be done only inbetween rounds..

[Beanflicker]

Because boxing is essentialy a stone age sport, a competition between 2 combatants to see who hasa the superior physical and mental ability.

Thats one of the dumbest things I've ever heard here. Boxing is a stone age sport? Come off it man. Boxing looks hardly anything like it did in its beginnings over a century ago. Why? Because it evolved and changed with the times. its changed for the better in just about every capacity, so why not utilize technology to help make proper calls?