On Saturday, December 10, 2011, there was a heated controversial battle in our Nation's capital, and no it was not between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. At the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C., Lamont Peterson won the WBA and IBF junior welterweight world titles in a split decision victory over Amir Khan. Both fighters put on a tremendous performance, giving the nearly 9,000 people in attendance and the multitude of HBO viewers a non-stop display of intense, skilled, hard-fought boxing. Unfortunately, their amazing Fight of the Year caliber bout has been overshadowed by controversy stemming from calls made by referee Joe Cooper.
With only seconds left in the seventh round, referee Cooper called timeout and deducted one point from Khan for pushing. In the 12th and final round, Khan again was deducted a point for pushing. Throughout the first half of the fight, referee Cooper gave several warnings about pushing. Khan and his Hall of Fame trainer, Freddie Roach, showed objection to the calls, but it was the HBO commentators that seemed to be most disturbed. Seconds after the first deduction, and echoed again during and after the fight, the sentiment of HBO's voices were that referee Joe Cooper should not have taken away any points without giving Khan a clear, hard warning. HBO analyst Max Kellerman stated, "I think before a ref takes a point there, he should say, 'The next time you do that, I am going to take a point.'" A clueless Larry Merchant asks if there was even a warning.
Ironically, in the sixth round, at the 1:22 mark, Joe Cooper clearly says, "Last time. Last warning. No pushing!" If HBO's commentators were actually watching the fight and describing what was going on, instead of rambling on with irrelevant narratives, the "hard" warning may have been heard. HBO has given us great fights in 2011. Boxing fans do not need HBO commentators to sell us a story while we are watching a bout. Even more concerning is how much these commentators influence how viewers perceive the fight. Sports writers have already posted articles reiterating the claims made by the announcers.
Everybody has a right to their own opinion. However, ideally, they should be formed based on facts. Joe Cooper gave ample warnings before he deducted points from Khan. Should he have taken the points away? That is up to debate. Did Cooper's calls alter the fight? Again, it is debatable. Both fighters displayed an amazing grit and talent. Use the controversy to sell the rematch, but just remember who created it.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: FightHype would like to welcome the talents of Joseph Sly to the team.]