Credibility of WBC Judges Questioned : Boxing: Rabanales’ handlers plan to protest decision to Sulaiman, hoping for quick rematch.

Charges of dishonesty, corruption and incompetence were made Tuesday in the aftermath of Monday night’s controversial bantamweight championship boxing match at the Forum.

A near-riot broke out when it was announced that Greg Richardson of Youngstown, Ohio, retained his World Boxing Council title on a split decision over Mexican challenger Victor Rabanales.

Many in the crowd believed Rabanales clearly won the 12-round fight.

In fact, some scored every round for the more aggressive Rabanales, except for two rounds that were scored even (9-9) after referee Lou Filippo deducted points from Rabanales for fouls.

Yet two of the three judges ruled Richardson the winner. Marty Sammon of San Jose scored the bout for Richardson, 115-111, and Angel Guzman of Puerto Rico called it for Richardson, 117-112. Arsenio Garcia of Mexico City favored Rabanales, 115-113.

Richardson backed up for nearly the entire fight, flicking occasional left jabs. In the early and late rounds, he infrequently scored on combinations to the body.

California commission member Raoul Silva said: “Rabanales was the more aggressive fighter--he just overwhelmed Richardson.”

It is a point of contention between professional boxing’s numerous world governing bodies and American state commissions that the international bodies insist on assigning their own judges to work their championship fights.

Each of the three judges was paid $1,200 plus expenses for working the bout.

Several years ago, the California Athletic Commission raised the issue with the WBC and wound up with only the right to assign the referee.

“The bottom line is that if we insist on assigning our own judges to title fights in California, we would get no title fights,” said Ken Gray, commission executive officer.

Rabanales’ adviser, Rafael Mendoza of Guadalajara, said he will file a protest with WBC President Jose Sulaiman in Mexico City.

“At this point, the best we can hope for is that Sulaiman will order a mandatory rematch within 60 or 90 days,” Mendoza said. “If Sulaiman has any sense of justice, he will do it.

“It was shocking to me. If the referee doesn’t deduct the points for the low blow and the head butt, Victor wins every single round. But even then, I feel Guzman would have found a way to score the fight for Richardson.”

Sulaiman could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Mendoza said he considered Guzman’s scoring of the fight dishonest. Guzman could not be located after the fight.

Mendoza called Sammon, a San Jose stockbroker, incompetent. “I have watched Marty Sammon score fights before, and I feel he is basically an honest man,” Mendoza said. “But I also feel he subconsciously favors fighters with a boxer style over the puncher style, which is how most Mexican fighters fight.

“I saw him score a fight like that in South Korea last year, giving a fight to a boxer-style fighter who had clearly lost to a puncher.

“Guzman, in my opinion, is a man who goes with the wave. He tries to make everyone happy; he doesn’t want to be blackballed by anyone, so he’s gracious to everyone. And he’s the kind of judge who will always tilt (his scoring) toward a champion.”

Added Mendoza: “We know Victor is not a great fighter, but he trained very hard for this opportunity and he deserved an honest decision. If he wins the championship, maybe he gets one defense and maybe he makes enough money to buy a home for his family. It was unjust, what happened.”

Richardson earned $50,000, Rabanales $8,500.

John Jackson, Forum vice president for boxing, said he has no control over judge assignments. The Forum paid a sanction fee of $4,500 to the WBC.

“If a lot of people who paid to see the fight were unhappy with how the judges saw it, then I’m unhappy, too,” he said. “But I’m not sure if having just California judges scoring a fight would necessarily prevent bad decisions. I’ve seen California judges make calls I didn’t agree with, too.”

It’s an old issue, said Gray.

“We’ve wanted to name our own judges for years,” he said. “The bottom line is always the same--if we did it, we’d get no championship fights in California.”

Gray said Sulaiman called him Tuesday to tell him he was “upset” with what he heard about the decision, but offered no apology.

“I did not score the fight and I am not a judge, but it was my impression that Rabanales won the fight,” said Haig Kelegian, WBC treasurer, who was at ringside.

When told of Mendoza’s remarks about Guzman, Kelegian said they were inappropriate, adding: “I’m surprised Mendoza would say that . . . but I can understand he’s upset with the decision.”

Jerry Nathanson, 80, former chairman of the California commission, called it “the worst thing I’ve seen in 60 years of watching boxing.”