Sports Recap: Controversial scorecard creates GGG-Canelo draw
Arguably the “Fight of the Year” ended in a controversial draw last Saturday as Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin seemed to dominate the majority of the championship fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez by landing nearly 50 more punches.
Judge Adalaide Byrd’s questionable scorecard was extremely lopsided in Canelo Alvarez’s favor, scoring the bout 118-100, though Canelo only decisively won four rounds on my card. Judge Dave Moretti scored the fight 115-113, while Don Tello scored it 114 a piece.
HBO’s Harold Lederman said after the results were announced, “118-110 for Canelo? No that did not happen. That is fiction, unfortunately.” Lederman scored the fight eight rounds to four in Triple G’s favor.
Golovkin controlled the center of the ring throughout the fight. Triple G worked the jabs and relentlessly pressed the fight. Golovkin nearly landed twice as many jabs as Canelo 108-55.
Canelo was successful in landing some impressive power counterpunches but none seemed to faze the champ. Canelo landed great body shots while Triple G seemed to respect the counter punching prowess of the Mexican because he practically avoided any attempt at attacking the body. Golovkin only landed eight punches to the body the whole fight.
Canelo looked weaker than Golovkin since he moved up two weight classes to face the best natural middleweight fighter in the world, but Triple G looked slow. Golovkin was most effective when he managed to cut the ring off and corner Alvarez on the ropes.
Besides the lopsided scorecard that screams corruption, boxing fans cannot be upset by what they saw in the ring last Saturday night in Las Vegas. It was a great fight overall but proves that if you leave it up to the judges, anything can happen.
I scored it 115-113, and I have no idea what Adalaide Byrd was watching during the fight but it wasn’t the same fight millions tuned into from around the world. I would like to see a toxicology report or have her take a lie detector examination that she judged this bout fairly to her best of her ability.
ESPN boxing commentator Teddy Atlas called out the entire sport of boxing following the night in an justifiable yet borderline irate rant saying, “The environment and landscape of the sport is set up for corruption.”
Atlas points out that this faulty result is not an isolated incident. He blames the fact that promoters are allowed to hand select judges. The frustration overflows from him because this is a tale that he knows too well from dedicating his life to the sport for over the last 50 years.
Byrd has judged 115 title fights prior to the Triple G vs Canelo match, which makes one think what other fights did she tarnish with questionable scorecards.
On the undercard local talent, Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. defeated Rafael Rivera in a 12 round Featherweight fight with a unanimous decision. Diaz remained undefeated, improving to 25 victories with 13 coming by knockout. Diaz officially fights out of South El Monte but resides in Downey.
RAMS: The Rams’ ineffective front seven got dominated at the line of scrimmage last Sunday, allowing three Washington Redskins running backs to each rush for nearly 70 yards a piece in the 27-20 loss at home.
Although the (1-1) Rams were able to make some crucial adjustments at the half to slow down the three-headed rushing attack of the Skins, it was too little too late.
Even with the highly anticipated return of star defensive lineman Aaron Donald, the LA defense looked outmatched in the trenches.
Pro bowl running back, Todd Gurley, carried the Rams offense with his two touchdowns and managed to keep the game relatively close.
Gurley rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
In one of the most impressive highlights of his young career, Gurley hurdled a Skins defender en route to the end zone to complete the dazzling 18-yard receiving touchdown in the 3rd Quarter, reducing the Rams’ deficit to just a field goal.
In the 4th, kicker Greg Zuerlein booted an equalizing 40-yard field goal with a little more than 7 minutes remaining. Plenty of time for Kirk Cousins and company to mount a methodical drive down the field that resulted in a 11 yard touchdown toss to Ryan Grant for his only reception of the game.
Unfortunately, most of the emerging headlines this week were focused around the attendance of the Coliseum-- or lack thereof. Of course, anyone familiar with LA sports knows that for the most part, the city is plagued with fair-weather fandom.
It will take a couple consecutive playoff runs before the seats begin to fill and team loyalty manifests. What do you expect from a city that was neglected by the league for generations.
The Rams will have a short week to prepare for a winless 49ers team that is still looking for an identity under new coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brian Hoyer. The lackluster 49ers will also be looking for its first touchdown of the post-Kaepernick era.
CHARGERS: The Chargers remain winless, falling to 0-2 on the season, after losing to the (1-0) Miami Dolphins last Sunday at the StubHub Center, 19-17.
Philip Rivers has looked as sharp as ever in his 14th season, completing 53-of-72 passes on the year for a completion percentage of 73.6%.
Rivers found Gates in the endzone for the 112th time in their hall-of-fame careers, placing Gates in first alltime above Huntington Beach legend Tony Gonzalez for most TDs by a TE.
Chargers running back, Melvin Gordon had another forgettable performance, though he was able to find pay dirt. On his nine carries, Gordon amounted a pitiful 13 yards in the game. He finished averaging less than a yard and a half per carry.
The Chargers are now ranked 31st out of the league’s 32 teams in rushing yards per game.
Gordon has just 67 yards rushing this season on 27 attempts. He has been more effective catching passes out of the backfield. The Chargers 2015 first round pick has caught 12 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown through the first two games of the season.
Chargers wide receiver, Keenan Allen proved to be Rivers’ most dependable playmaker. Allen finished the game with 100 yards, hauling in 9-of-10 passes.
This Sunday will be another uphill climb for the Bolts as the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs come to town. The Chiefs have one of the most balanced teams in the league, led by head coach Andy Reid, and are ranked second in ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Chiefs’ rookie Kareem Hunt has been ravishing running and catching the football so far this season. The Chiefs’ running back has already garnered 229 yards on 30 carries through two games, averaging 7.6 yards a carry.
Hunt has rushed for three touchdowns and added two more receiving. The 5’11, 3rd round pick out of Toledo is the Cinderella story of the season so far and is in contention for Rookie of the Year honors.
To put it all into perspective, Hunt has accumulated 355 total yards and five touchdowns this year. That means that Hunt has single-handedly scored as many touchdowns as the entire Chargers team. Hunt has found the endzone as many times as 49ers, Dolphins, Giants, Seahawks, Panthers, and Bengals organizations have combined! He has scored more touchdowns than 17-of-the-32 teams in the league.