An old adage reminds us that
“history has a way of repeating itself.” Just three years ago, Azumah Nelson
was denied the 40th victory of his career in his rubber match
against Jeff Fenech. Before that, Ike Quartey was on the losing end of what
many deemed to be controversial decision to both Oscar De La Hoya and the late
Vernon Forrest. Such seems to be the case for Ghanaian bantamweight Joseph
“King Kong” Agbeko. This past summer, Agbeko found himself on the losing end of
an excellent contest against Abner Mares.
The bout with Mares was the finals of Showtime’s bantamweight tournament that
also saw Vic Darchinyan and Yonnhy Perez face off.
As for Agbeko, unlike his
fellow compatriots (whom he remains good friends with), who were only fighting
their in-the-ring rivals, Agbeko found himself facing two combatants in the
squared circle the night of August 13.
“This injustice has tarnished
the entire tournament,” Agbeko would shout. “The officiating was absolutely
horrible. Come December 3rd, I will prove to be the best in the
rematch.”
The official Agbeko is
referring to is Russell Mora. Exactly how bad was Mora? Well, all that has to
be mentioned is that Showtime's fight panel of Gus Johnson, Al Bernstein,
Antonio Tarver and ring analyst Jim Gray put Mora on blast. Bernstein had alluded
that it had been the worst case of officiating he has witnessed in his 30-plus
years of covering the game.
So what made Mora so bad?
For starters, Mora never called, warned, nor deducted any points from Mares for
any of the 9,210 low blows that he hit Agbeko with over the course of 12
rounds. As if that weren't bad enough, Mora granted Mares a knockdown that
should have been ruled a slip. That plays a vital role in a close fight.
But yes, folks, it gets
worse.
The ugly mess came to a head
in the 11th round. After already delivering a flagrant and
unpenalized low blow, Mares ripped Agbeko with a left uppercut, clean to the
groin. The entire crowd and Agbeko reeled in agony but instead of penalizing
Mares, Mora squatted down in front of Agbeko to count. Yes, fans, Mora ruled it
a knockdown. The fight was scored a majority decision for Mares but it begs the
question of what would have happened had the fight been officiated by a
competent referee? To summarize, there were two blown knockdowns and a point
deduction for Agbeko. Mora was so bad that he made the judges in the first bout
between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield appear to have 20/20 vision.
“At first, I thought he had
a personal issue with me,” Agbeko, 28-3 (22), would claim, “but I don't know. I
never met him before. I thought he was supposed to be fair but it sure seemed like
it was something racial. [Mora] destroyed the decision.”
At the end of the day, this
is boxing and ultimately, the fighters should be held accountable for what
happens in the ring. Many of the pundits asked why Agbeko didn’t step on the
gas pedal and fight with some urgency once he realized that he was fighting two
people in the ring that night.
“I thought Abner did better
than what I expected,” assessed the 31-year-old resident of the Bronx, “but I
wasn't at my best. I know I didn't look good early. I had to come on late
because there were many opportunities that I let go. Just look; I was missing
points and I still would have won the fight.”
It seems as if Agbeko is
referring to finding his rhythm. Either way, it wouldn't have mattered because
Agbeko was too far behind the eight-ball. Agbeko would humbly admit that lack
of preparation contributed to his late rally.
“I didn't know Abner at
all,” said Agbeko. “I didn't watch any video on him. He doesn't punch hard at
all but I made the mistake of not working the body from the start.”
As always, this scribe gives
credit when it’s due. That said, props to the IBF (International Boxing
Federation) and Don King Promotions for recognizing the injustice that
transpired that hot summer night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las
Vegas, NV. By requiring that both parties participate in an immediate rematch,
both the IBF and DKP are doing right by both fighters, the sanctioning bodies
involved, both promotional entities and, most importantly, the fans. Everybody
wins because every side is heard fairly. This eliminates the inconsistency and
unpredictability that has recently plagued boxing.
Very rarely do people get a
second chance at life. Agbeko is lucky to do so. So what is at stake for him
this time around?
“Winner takes all,” the
proud Ghanaian would boast. “Afterwards, I will be moving to 122 pounds to fight.
Nonito Donaire is on my radar.”
Unfortunately, boxing always
finds a way to shoot itself in the foot. Mares-Agbeko II will be going
head-to-head with Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II. Instead of scheduling this
great scrap for another date, the connoisseurs of the “Sweet Science” are now
forced to choose between the two. The powers that be suggest that people will
be tuned in to HBO Pay-Per-View the night of the 3rd. Thank goodness
for TiVo and DVRs in general.
Mares-Agbeko II is set for
Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. and will be televised
live on Showtime Championship Boxing. In the co-featured bout, WBA bantamweight
super champion Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno of Panama will defend his title against
the former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan. The doubleheader is
promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don King Productions and Gary Shaw
Productions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. The
doubleheader will be televised live on Showtime beginning
at 9 PM ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Tickets for Mares vs. Agbeko
II are priced at $150, $100, $50 and $25, are on sale now at all Ticketmaster
locations, online at ticketmaster.com and via charge-by-phone at
800-745-3000.
* Special thanks to MaxBoxing.com
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