BOXING : Switch Makes Scoring Less of Judgment Call

The computerized scoring system introduced recently at amateur boxing’s World Championships in Moscow didn’t exactly draw rave reviews, but preliminary protests notwithstanding, the sport has probably been fundamentally changed forever.

Protests over judges’ scoring at the Seoul Olympics--one decision precipitated a riot--put the International Amateur Boxing Federation (AIBA) against the wall. The president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch told AIBA, in effect, “Clean up your act or we’ll eliminate boxing from the Olympics.”

AIBA president Anwar Chowdhry of Pakistan decided it was time for long-discussed computer scoring. The Soviet Union volunteered to design a system, since it hosted last September’s World Championships. And when judges arrived in Moscow, they found a panel of switches at their desks, the two most important of which registered scoring blows, one for the boxer in the red corner, the other for the blue corner.

Their scoring during the bouts was viewed on terminal screens by the AIBA president and the chairman of the appeals jury.

According to U.S. officials, the Soviet system will be improved upon by a U.S. system.

“The Moscow system had a lot of problems, many of which we were able to iron out during the tournament,” said Jim Fox, executive director of the USA Amateur Boxing Federation. “But the fact is, if we’d had even the Soviet system in Seoul, we wouldn’t have had that Roy Jones decision.”

Jones is the U.S. middleweight deprived of a gold medal in a controversial decision in Seoul. Another decision, which went against U.S. light-flyweight Michael Carbajal in another gold-medal bout, was thought to have been only slightly less outrageous by U.S. team officials.

“No one in Moscow was completely happy with the Soviet system, but everyone was happy we’d taken the step,” Fox said. “We’re trying to find a computer company now that will design a better system, hopefully with a four-sided display screen above the ring so that everyone in the arena can see how a bout is being scored during the bout.”

That element was lacking in Moscow, where only officials seated at two ringside tables could see the scoring.

Fox said he hopes that the first U.S. computer scoring system will make its debut at Seattle’s Goodwill Games next summer. No one can say if computers will eliminate charges of biased scoring at future Olympics, but one thing is sure, according to Fox:

“Computerized scoring for the Olympics and other major international amateur boxing events is here to stay,” he said.

Jorge Paez might have been a hit with the crowd in his Forum debut last month, but the California Athletic Commission didn’t care for his act.

The International Boxing Federation featherweight champion, Paez came into the ring for his non-title fight wearing a sequined outfit that looked more suited for a wrestling show, performed a brief dance that some interpreted as suggestive, taunted his opponent during the fight and followed the ring-card women around the ring between rounds.

Commission inspector George Yoshinaga went up on the ring apron after one between-rounds act and told Paez to knock it off.

Commission President Raoul Silva of Los Angeles said Paez will attend a lecture before his next fight here. The Forum wants to bring him back to defend his title.

“If he intends to fight in California again, we’ll make sure he understands what we expect,” Silva said. “There will be no obscene gestures, no carrying on with the ring girls. He’s going to sit in his corner between rounds.”

Notice which organization among boxing’s alphabet soup told Don King his heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, would be stripped of his title if he didn’t get cracking on a defense with everyone’s No. 1 contender, Evander Holyfield?

Was it Jose Sulaiman, who will preach at the drop of a sanction fee that the World Boxing Council stands for integrity in boxing? No, it was the World Boxing Assn., which told King that if Tyson beats Razor Ruddock on Nov. 18, Tyson will have 120 days to fight Holyfield or be stripped.

That directive was subsequently put aside, of course, because Tyson-Ruddock was postponed when Tyson came down with a lung ailment. The point is, however, while the WBA’s Elias Cordova was coming down hard on King, Sulaiman was busily moving James (Buster) Douglas from sixth to third in the WBC ratings.

Douglas has been designated by King as a future opponent for Tyson, and never mind that he looked positively awful in winning a decision against Oliver McCall on the Tyson-Carl Williams undercard.

Boxing Notes

Michael Dokes, who gave Evander Holyfield his toughest fight last February, has signed for a Forum fight Monday against Lionel Washington. . . . Jorge Paez defends his International Boxing Federation featherweight crown at Reno on NBC Dec. 9 against tough Lupe Gutierrez. . . . Flyweight Michael Carbajal, biggest surprise as a professional of the ’88 U.S. Olympic team, meets Puerto Rican Pedro Feliciano Nov. 17 in a Telemundo TV network show. If he keeps knocking people out, Carbajal may get a flyweight title shot this summer, according to his promoter, Bob Arum. He’s 9-0 and has knocked out seven opponents.

Ricky Romero’s state super-flyweight title fight with Martin Cardenas has been postponed to Dec. 5 at the San Diego Sports Arena. Romero suffered a slight neck injury while training for the original date, Nov. 2. . . . Superstar-in-the-making: Cuba expects big things from its 17-year-old middleweight, Ramon Garbey, since he won a world juniors championship in Puerto Rico. The Cubans, by the way, are still steamed over several decisions at the Moscow World Championships favoring Soviet boxers over Cubans.

Rick Kulis says he’s serious. The Southland cable TV boxing impresario wants to match Michael Nunn’s mother, Madies Nunn, against Minna Wilson, mother of British fighter Tony Wilson. Both moms had scrapes with the law recently--Nunn’s in Davenport, Iowa, when her son, the IBF middleweight champion, wound up in the slammer after a scuffle with police. Wilson’s mom charged into the ring during her son’s most recent bout and began whacking his opponent with her shoe. . . . Caesars Palace will have a twin title fight show Nov. 18, Julio Cesar Chavez-Sammy Fuentes and Julian Jackson-Troy Wortham.

A boxing writer wrote the following: “There are no good boxers today. At least if there are, I have not been able to find them. . . . Boxing is a lost art. . . . Boxing instructors who know the fine points of the game and who are qualified to teach them to others are very scarce. During over 50 years of experience I have known of no more than 10.” The author was L.A. Times boxing writer Frank A. Garbutt, and that’s an excerpt from his column published on Feb. 17, 1935.