Burton vs. Augustus, 7. July 2004

[Eric the Viking]

{Copy of something I just posted to the Current Scene Forum}

Current fight record reads pretty good:

~ Referee: Dan Kelley | Judge: Robert Paganeli 90-99 | Judge: Ed Mosley 92-97 | Judge: Jack Richards 98-94 ~
By many called the worst decision they ever saw. Augustus clearly dominated this fight!

But, I think a line about the 4th-round KD that was called a low blow by the ref should be added. In fact, I'd like to see 3 additional notes along the following lines:

- Burton down in 4th from clearly legal blow on the belt at navel level; called low by Kelley.

- Augustus warned by Kelley in ??th (forgot the exact round) for "low blow" that hit Burton on the left elbow.

- Augustus deducted 1 point in ??th for legally spinning his way out of a clinch.

I know, much of this qualifies as blatant editorializing, which is normally a bad thing. But this fight was refereed and judged (at least by the 2 local-yokel judges from MI) so appallingly badly that I really believe the best way to get the MI commission to do the right thing and declare the fight a NC is to shame the guilty parties by any means possible, including naming names and pointing fingers in official records. If ref. Kelley knows that his incompetence/corruption will be online for all to see in perhaps the most widely used boxing database in the world, maybe he'll think twice next time he's refereeing a fight (godforbid that should happen) between a local fighter and an out-of-stater, irrespective of how annoying the out-of-towner's antics might be.

Here's another idea: in the fight records where the judges' names and scores are listed, why not add their state of residence? That would make the hometown decisions clear as day. In this case, the fight record would read

~ Referee: Dan Kelley (MI)| Judge: Robert Paganeli (MI) | Judge: Ed Mosley (MI) 92-97 | Judge: Jack Richards (??) 98-94 ~

I tried finding out where Jack Richards hails from (it may in fact be Michigan, too) in the under-construction boxing referee section, but there's no data for him yet. I suppose in future the judges' names on fight records could be linked to their judging records, just like the fighters' names are linked to theirs.

[Matt]

The comment "Augustus clearly dominated this fight!", is completely inappropriate. Says who, the editor? Maybe, I thought it was close. Does it matter? There should be no comment at all. We are not going to start editorializing just for this fight.

It gets into, "Why not do another one after that? ...or that one, ... but don't forgot this one. .... I think this one was bad."

We don't need to open the door. Now if something factual comes up, stemming from the decision, then that is fair game to add.

[Eric the Viking]

The comment "Augustus clearly dominated this fight!", is completely inappropriate. Says who, the editor? Maybe, I thought it was close. Does it matter? There should be no comment at all. We are not going to start editorializing just for this fight.

It gets into, "Why not do another one after that? ...or that one, ... but don't forgot this one. .... I think this one was bad."

We don't need to open the door. Now if something factual comes up, stemming from the decision, then that is fair game to add.

All 3 of the notes I added are factual - perhaps we should replace the current editorial comment with those.

[Todd Hodgson]

- Burton down in 4th from clearly legal blow on the belt at navel level; called low by Kelley.

- Augustus warned by Kelley in ??th (forgot the exact round) for "low blow" that hit Burton on the left elbow.

- Augustus deducted 1 point in ??th for legally spinning his way out of a clinch.

I'll gladly add the point deduction if you (or anyone) can remember the round. The other two points are irrelevant; we can't note every referee warning and botched knockdown call.

[courtjester]

1. Point deduction was in the eighth round;
2. Jack Richards also is from Michigan (all four officials, specifically, are from metropolitan Grand Rapids);
3. To assert that Augustus "dominated" the fight is ridiculous; the argument isn't necessarily whether Augustus won or lost, it's the absurdity of scoring him the loser by margins of 99-90 and 97-92. I was ringside for the fight and had Augustus winning by one point. If the judges had it close, the argument wouldn't be so overwhelming. Judge Robert Paganelli gave Burton all of the last nine rounds for a 9-1 scorecard. Ed Mosley had it 7-3 for Burton. Jack Richards had it 6-1-3 for Augustus. The disparity is what makes the outcome a sham.

[Todd Hodgson]

1. Point deduction was in the eighth round

Added. Thanks.

[courtjester]

If I may correct myself, upon further review of my notes, the point deduction was in the ninth round, not the eighth. Apologies.

[Keato83]

Who ever thinks this fight was close was ringside and from MI. This fight was far from close. There should have been a 10-8 in the fourth and the point that got deducted should not have been. 99- 90 Augustus. A clear "schooling". He won the rematch anyhow