After less than a week investigating last Saturday’s verdict in the Paul Williams-Erislandy Lara bout, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board has placed all three judges on indefinite suspension.
The judges (Al Bennett, Hilton Whitaker III and Donald Givens) were ordered to the NJSACB’s Trenton offices for a round by round explanation of their scorecards. Despite an overwhlemingly majority of ringside observers having Lara a clear winner by several rounds, the judges awarded Williams the decision by scores of 114-114, 115-114 and 116-114. Although Board commissioner Aaron Davis experessed their were “unsatisfied” with the decision, their findings showed “no evidence of bias, fraud, corruption or incapacity on the part of any of the judges.” To be considered for reinstatement, all three suspended will be required to complete additional training.
Regardless of the Board’s findings, the Williams-Lara decision cannot be legally overturned. The Board also did not demand a rematch, but admitted one “may be warranted” given their findings.
Lara’s promoter Golden Boy offered praise to the NJSACB for “taking decisive action” on the controversy. At press time, Paul Williams nor his promoter Goossen Tutor could be reached for comment.
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Considering these investigation into judges rarely amount to much, I’m very happy to see my home state taking some action to prevent these shameful robberies. One loss can take years to recover from. So its imperative that all judges be highly trained and know what they’re looking at.
The media and fans really came through on this one as well. Normally, we all just shake our heads for a day or two and just move on to the next event. But no one let this die, ensuring that the proper authorities looked into this verdict. Let’s hope this puts other states on notice.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 