Kermit Cintron would not have had his hand raised Saturday if boxing had instant replay.
There has been a lot of criticism about instant replay in professional sports, especially football.It slows down the game and sometimes the referees fail to get the call right even after watching the play in slow motion. Instant replay isn't fool proof, but I still think boxing needs it and Saturday was more proof as to why.
Rising star Sergio Martinez was taking on Kermit Cintron in a match that definitely had title implications. Aside from not breaking the clinches, the referee was doing a fine job through the early rounds except for one extremely important punch.
Martinez jumped to the inside and looked to deliver a quick flurry. When he jumped in, he led with a perfect left cross that landed right on the eyebrow of Cintron. The shot caused a cut above the eye, a cut that should have racked up points for Martinez.
Instead, the referee ruled it an "accidental clash of heads," which is understandable because the fighters' heads did get close to colliding. The ruling of a head clash could have been heartbreaking for Martinez. If the cut above the eye was bad enough for the doctor to wave off the fight, the result would have been a no contest instead of going to the scorecards.
If it was ruled as a punch, as it should have been, it would go to the scorecards or be ruled as a TKO for Martinez.
If that ruling wasn't bad enough for Martinez, he was wronged again in the seventh round. As the round was coming to a close, Martinez hit another powerful left hand that sent Cintron stumbling backwards to the ropes where he fell to his knees.
The shot was ruled as another clash of heads, then a knockdown and then Cintron sort of got up but never really did. It's possible to think Cintron got up before the 10 count, but just because Cintron claimed it was a headbutt, doesn't mean it actually was.
Looking at the replay, it was clear to see it was a left hand (it's scary to think a punch is powerful enough to make someone think it was a headbutt). So instead of Cintron getting the standard one minute rest between rounds, he was given close to five minutes while the referee tried to sort the mess out.
If round eight would have start as scheduled, Cintron would have still been reeling a little and Martinez could have kept the pressure on. And if the referee would have known to start the 10-count right away, Cintron may never have made it to his feet in the seventh.
After all of that mess, the judges delivered a terrible decision and the fight ended in a draw though Martinez was clearly the better boxer on Saturday.
The fight was a perfect example of how a replay system could help. There could be a "judge" who is designated to watch replays throughout the fight and let the referee know of any changes that should be made in scoring between rounds.
With the excellent camera work that boxing allows, there should be no reason to miss a call. We have all seen the super slow motion shots on HBO and Showtime, the detail is amazing.
The tools needed are already at boxing's dispense. They would not have to take any extra time to view a replay and it could really help in determining illegal blows and head clashes. Give it a chance all you boxing commissions, it will be worth it.
If nothing else, it's another excuse to watch the cool super slow motion shots that truly show the power of a solid punch.
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2 comments:
Cintron beat the 10 count and everything was done 'properly' except the signal by the referee. He made an improper signal and then corrected himself. That's not Cintron's fault. He was coherent the entire time (thinking incorrectly that he had received a head butt). He was talking to the referee and clearly knew what was going on (although again, he was wrong in his thinking it was a head butt and not a punch). So...the referee did what he should have. Since Cintron was up before the count of 10, he corrected his mistake and the fight continued on.
Thanks for the comment.
I agree that Cintron was coherent throughout the whole ordeal, but there was clearly confusion because of the referee's ruling.
If Cintron knew the referee ruled it as a knockdown, he would have gotten to his feet much quicker instead of barely beating the 10 count.
The right call was eventually made, but the confusion (including Martinez thinking he won) could have been avoided if a ringside official had been able to inform the ref immediately about what he saw on a replay.
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