THE TEN MOST CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS

by William Dettloff
HBO: Boxing: Event: Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Rocky Juarez : THE TEN MOST CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS

Marco Antonio Barrera's win over Rocky Juarez last May wasn't the most controversial outcome in the business since Julio Cesar Chavez' 1990 victory over Meldrick Taylor (which, incidentally, is running all month on HBO's Legendary Nights series). It was controversial just the same, and would have been so even if the official outcome hadn't been changed to a split decision win for Barrera rather than the draw that was announced in the ring. It was a close, tough fight. The fact a scoring error altered the outcome only added fuel to the controversy. Hence the rematch, which will air on HBO PPV on September 16.

As controversial as Barrera's win was, it pales in comparison to others that have occurred in the game over the last quarter century. Here's our list, in chronological order, of the 10 most controversial decisions of the last 25 years.


Michael Spinks W 15 Larry Holmes, April 19, 1986

You couldn't blame Holmes for thinking he'd beaten Spinks in their rematch. Yes, he was 36 years old and past his prime and sure, Spinks again used that awkward, herky-jerky style to throw off his rhythm. But Holmes, an 8-5 favorite to regain the IBF heavyweight title, did far better the second time around than he had the first.

He landed his famed jab from the outside. He manhandled Spinks and staggered him at least three times with right hands. A broken right thumb kept him from following up and trying for the knockout, but he was in charge for most of the night, while Spinks' pesky counters weren't nearly as effective as they had been in the first fight.

Still, the split decision went to Spinks by scores of 144-141, 144-142, and 141-144, to the great surprise of those in attendance at the Hilton Center in Las Vegas as well as those watching on television. ''I had the man hurt, the man was running. I know the man didn't win the fight,'' Holmes told the New York Times afterward. Most everyone agreed.

Sugar Ray Leonard W 12 Marvelous Marvin Hagler, April 6, 1987

It depended on what you liked: did you like Leonard's flashy, round-stealing flurries, or Hagler's steadiness and consistency? Did you prefer Leonard's faster, lighter punches, or Hagler's heavier, more telling, but less frequent blows?

Everyone has an opinion on this one and whatever yours is, you can easily find one that goes the other way. Hagler supporters claim the judges fell victim to Leonard's charisma and story and ignored the fighting. Leonard fans maintain Hagler fought stupidly, giving away rounds and fighting Leonard's fight. The 15,336 fans at Caesars Palace seemed split.

Whichever side you're on, most agree that it was close and dismiss the ridiculous 118-110 score submitted by judge Jose J. Guerra. It's harder to dispute the 115-113 and 113-115 scores turned in by the other judges. Still, if you think Leonard won it, there's no changing your mind. Same with those who think Hagler was robbed. That the fighters came from very different backgrounds and took wholly opposing roads to the top only adds to the passion around the debate.

Jose Luis Ramirez W 12 Pernell Whitaker, March 12, 1988

Whitaker did about everything in this fight that one fighter can do to another without knocking him out. And from about the sixth round on he did it with a fractured left hand. He outboxed Ramirez, out-punched him, out-maneuvered him, and generally made him look foolish. It wasn't close and at the end of 12 rounds, it looked like a no-brainer: Whitaker was the new WBC lightweight champion.

Those used to the way things go in boxing figured the judges might throw a few mercy rounds Ramirez' way, as the fight was held in his adopted hometown of Paris, France. But nothing could have prepared us for the split decision in Ramirez' favor by scores of 116-115, 113-117, and an unconscionable 118-113.

Today it is universally recognized as one of the worst decisions of the era and maybe the worst decision in a lightweight title fight in 50 years. The usual cries of "fix" pervaded the aftermath. The score wasn't settled until the following year when they met again and Whitaker won a deservedly lopsided decision.
James Toney wasn't always a chubby, trash-talking heavyweight. Back in the early - '90s he was a svelte, trash-talking middleweight who dehydrated himself to get down to the 160-pound limit.

Azumah Nelson D 12 Jeff Fenech, June 28, 1991

You had to feel a little sorry for Fenech. He'd done everything he needed to do to wrest the WBC junior lightweight belt from the Nelson in front of nearly 15,000 witnesses in Las Vegas. After a slow start he consistently bulled Nelson to the ropes and worked him over, wearing him down with body shots and crisp combinations.

In the 12th Fenech swarmed all over Nelson and had him reeling at the bell. It looked like a complete victory - to everyone but the judges, who scored it 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114. "He put up a great fight, but I know I won," Fenech told KO magazine later. He found many allies, including WBC President Jose Sulaiman, who called the decision a "grave controversy."

Gus Mercurio, boxing writer for The Sunday Age, a leading Australian newspaper, seemed to speak for everyone when he described the verdict as outrageous. "It was an incompetent decision. You shouldn't find that kind of discrepancy among judges at this level." You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who disagreed, especially Fenech. He was never the same fighter again, and in a rematch the following year, Nelson knocked him out in the eighth round.