BOXING : They’ve Already Forgotten the Forum Fiasco

The saddest thing about the outrage of Monday night at the Forum is that less than 48 hours later, all the outrage was gone.

When bantamweight champion Greg Richardson was awarded a split decision over Mexican challenger Victor Rabanales, bottles, cans, beer cups and other debris flew. Richardson had to run to the dressing room hallway for protection.

Some at ringside had scored every round for Rabanales. Some wondered whether Richardson actually was trying to win or simply was trying to finish on his feet. Yet, two judges scored it for Richardson, by margins of 117-112 and 115-111.

Jerry Nathanson, a longtime state boxing commissioner, called it, “The worst thing I’ve ever seen in 60 years of watching boxing.”

But by midweek, it was as if Richardson-Rabanales had happened 10 years ago. The Forum? No problem there. Jerry Buss’ boxing staff simply moves on to its next show, Virgil Hill vs. Tommy Hearns at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace. And never mind that Forum customers Monday paid from $15 to $90 to see a match that, for most in the building, emitted an unpleasant odor.

All three judges were appointed by one of boxing’s half-dozen or so sanctioning bodies, the Mexico-based World Boxing Council. That begs the question: How it is that a private, foreign-based organization can dictate terms of a sports event that is regulated by a California public agency, the State Athletic Commission?

But that is what happens about once a month in this state, or every time a so-called “championship” fight is held here. “Championship” as applied to boxing has lost its meaning, because there are now about six world governing bodies. “Championship” looks great on a marquee, but it doesn’t mean much in pro boxing.

That’s why there were no howls of outrage over Richardson-Rabanales by the Forum boxing staff this week.

For the Forum, the more “championship” fights, the better. They cost more to see.

Not long ago, the Goossen boxing people of Van Nuys made a match between heavyweights Lionel Washington and Orlin Norris at the Reseda Country Club. Then they had the nerve to call it a “championship” fight for something called the North American Boxing Federation.

Never mind that Washington had lost five of his previous seven fights and came in with a record of 11-8.

So don’t hold your breath waiting for promoters to speak out against the groups that in the past couple of decades have reduced boxing to fractured parts. Presumably, if there were 20 governing bodies, which probably will be the case by 2000, the Forum, the Goossens, Don King, Bob Arum--they would all love it.

OK, so how about a response from the State Athletic Commission?

Forget it.

As recently as 15 years ago, California’s commission insisted on making all judge and referee assignments for all pro boxing bouts in California. But it caved in to the demands of the foreign governing bodies several years back.

When the governing bodies started threatening to pull title fights out of California, the promoters went running to the commission and asked for relief.

So don’t expect the commission suddenly to reverse form on this one. The commission seems to drift along from problem to problem, more focused on intramural battles than boxing problems.

Remember, this is the commission that issued convicted bank embezzler Harold Smith a manager’s license from behind closed doors. This is the commission that until recently had one of the softest testing policies for illegal drugs in the country, under which known drug users could fight without fear of being tested.

This is a commission with one member, Robert Wilson of San Diego, who has attended 19 meetings of the previous 35.

The California commission used to stand up to the world bodies. Bob Fellmeth, chairman from 1977 to ‘81, recalls when the commission, not the WBC, ran boxing in California.

“The WBC started making demands in the 1960s about judge assignments, and we just ignored them,” Fellmeth said. “We called their bluff. And we had title fights. The mere idea of a foreign cartel coming into California and dictating anything to a state agency is outrageous.”

It’s also outrageous that no alarm bells went off for the commission staff when it became known that promoter Don King was talking to Richardson’s people about a multifight deal if he defeated Rabanales. Keep in mind, King is a virtual partner of Jose Sulaiman, the WBC president, who appointed the judges for Richardson-Rabanales.

Said Ken Gray, the commission’s executive officer: “We’ve been over this issue many times. It’s something we want to do (appoint judges for all matches), but we all agree the sanctioning bodies won’t sanction fights here if we stick to our guns.”

Not true. Last Feb. 10, Sugar Ray Leonard fought Terry Norris in New York for Norris’ WBC junior middleweight championship. All three judges and the referee were New Yorkers, appointed by Randy Gordon, executive director of the New York State Athletic Commission.

“When the fight was made, I sat down with (Madison Square Garden matchmaker) Bobby Goodman, and I told him I would not bend on judges for this one,” Gordon said.

“I told the Leonard and Norris people how strongly I felt, that New York judges and referees were perfectly capable of working this fight, and they all agreed with me.

“I then sent a letter to Sulaiman and told him how I felt. He didn’t even argue the point.”

So, boxing stumbles to its next “championship” fight.

And of Richardson-Rabanales, Forum boxing chief John Jackson could only say he had a bad taste in his mouth two days later.

“I’m troubled that we had an incident,” he said. “And I’m troubled that fans came out to our facility, where we try very hard to put on good shows, and that they left with a bad taste in their mouths.

“But I’m only the promoter. California and the world organizations have to look at it, to see that it doesn’t happen again.”

Boxing Notes

A lot of big numbers are being tossed into news stories regarding the pay-per-view gross from the Evander Holyfield-George Foreman fight last month. They range from $60 million to $75 million. But the Pay-Per-View Newsletter, published by Paul Kagan and Associates of Carmel and read by nearly everyone in the industry, is calling it $48.9 million. . . . The Amateurs: Pasadena’s Crown City Boxing Stables is holding an amateur boxing show Thursday at the Pasadena Elks Lodge, starting at 7 p.m. Ten bouts are scheduled. . . . The Albers Boxing Club of Samoa, Calif., needs a USA Amateur Boxing Federation-approved ring and hopes an amateur boxing club in Southern California can help out. Contact: (707) 442-3561. . . . Southland amateur stars Oscar de la Hoya and John Bray will fight Cuban boxers today at Fort Bragg, N.C., on NBC-TV. . . . Channel 13 will televise the June 25 Ten Goose Boxing show at the Reseda Country Club.