Gerrie Coetzee vs. Renaldo Snipes
Gerrie Coetzee 222 lbs lost to Renaldo Snipes 218 lbs by SD in round 10 of 10
- Date: 1981-08-09
- Location: New Westcester Town Hall, Tarrytown, New York, USA
- Referee: Joe Cortez 4-5
- Judge: Carol Castellano 6-3
- Judge: Nick Gamboli 4-5
Coetzee scored two knockdowns over Snipes and lost what was widely viewed as a controversial decision.
"In Tarrytown, NY, unbeaten heavyweight Renaldo Snipes survived two knockdowns and scored a very unpopular split decision Sunday over Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa. Coetzee had Snipes down in the 1st and 4th rounds, and he appeared to be getting much the better of Snipes throughout most of the rest of their scheduled 10 rounder at the New Westchester Theater. Coetzee pounded Snipes with rights and lefts throughout the fight, and Snipes was ready to fall in the 10th round. When ring announcer Frank Shane read the cards, declaring Snipes the winner, the crowd booed loudly and showered the ring with popcorn, ice cubes and other debris." -Wire Services
- Unofficial AP scorecard - 7-3 Coetzee
- A UPI poll of sportswriters stated, "Every writer polled at ringside had Coetzee well ahead of Snipes by anywhere from eight to six rounds."
- NBC, who aired the fight, stated that their switchboard was flooded with calls from viewers protesting the decision.
- NY state carried the rule of supplemental points for knockdowns, but the rule was not applied. If it had, Coetzee would have won 6-5-1 on Gamboli and Cortez's cards.
Post fight comment
- "It's true, the judges can choose to invoke the points system instead of using rounds, but they did not choose to do so. The decision stands." -Marvin Cohen, Deputy Commissioner of the NYSAC