Should Nevada investigate the Manny Pacquiao decision?

Writers from around the Tribune Co.will discuss Timothy Bradley’s controversial split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in the WBO welterweight title fight Saturday night. Check back throughout the day for their responses and join the conversation by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own.

POLL: Should there be an investigation of the Manny Pacquiao fight?

Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

The best case that promoter Bob Arum makes in seeking answers regarding the judging of Duane Ford and C.J. Ross is that the same type of officiating accountability exists in major sports.

Instead of chalking it up to a typical difference of opinion between a losing fighter and judges, Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer should acknowledge what an atrocious decision this was in perhaps the biggest fight in his state this year.

Photos: Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley

Arum on Monday asked the Nevada attorney general to explore “everything” about the judges, including how they were appointed, and their contacts with individuals afterward.

Nevada should feel embarrassed that veteran judge Ford not only joined Ross in giving Bradley a 115-113 edge, but told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Bradley gave Pacquiao “a boxing lesson.”

Launching an official review is the best way to hammer home the point to the masses who dispute the scoring: Judges, that’s unacceptable.

Bob Foltman, Chicago Tribune

An investigation is warranted only to determine whether the two judges who gave Timothy Bradley the fight were under improper outside influence. The fact that there was a good amount of money coming in late on Bradley at the Vegas sports books is enough at least to lift an eyebrow slightly. But any investigation should be limited to that.

Like just about everyone, I thought Pacquiao clearly won, but he could have made his life easier by knocking Bradley out, or at least knocking him down a few times. If CompuBox is the end-all, be-all that everyone seems to believe in this case, then perhaps the answer is to just use the stats and eliminate the human judges. Except ... it’s humans that put together the punch stats. Where there are humans, there will be human error and it’s not always a crime.

George Diaz, Orlando Sentinel

Be assured that Nevada will investigate the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley decision!

It will coincide with my rocket journey to Venus.

You’d have to be flying high to think that professional boxing would want to clean up its unsavory act. The sport survives in spite of itself -- and the buffoonery that passes as qualified judging at ringside.

“I had Manny ahead, but that’s fine,” said Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “Every fighter who loses a close fight like that wants to look at the judges.”

No, it’s not fine. It’s incomprehensible.

All-together now: This wasn’t a close fight. Pacquiao won the fight easily.

An honest investigation of the facts would reveal that, but that’s assuming anyone in boxing cares about honesty and integrity.

We’ll move onto the next scandal soon enough.

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