The subject of the day was boxing judges and was broken into both English and Spanish speaking sessions..
The English speaking panelist’s included Hubert Minn, the WBC Ring Officials Committee Chairman, Las Vegas Judge Duane Ford (NABF President)
Committee vice chairman Steve Morrow, WBC judge Craig Metcalfe, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman and Victor Silva as moderator..
The panelists, who are some of the best boxing judges in the world, had an enlightening conversation regarding vital judging aspects:
Points in question were, Judging Criteria.. Affective aggression.. scoring a 10-8 round without a knockdown.. Along with memories of each judges first title fight... Scoring controversial rounds... Pressure and neutrality.. Code of Ethics.. Honourability.. and finally, how most judges get their score, along with several other connected aspects..
The Spanish speaking panelist’s consisted of..
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, José Manzur (Judge).. Juan Carlos Pelayo (Judge).. Omar Mintum (Judge) among with Victor Silva acting as Mediator..
The President of the WBC, Mr. Mauricio Sulaimán opened the conversation, thanking all those who have made this possible, those who have followed the broadcasts and of course all the panelists who have gathered throughout the week to share your experiences and knowledge.
He explained that the task of a judge is of vital importance since they are the ones who administer and temper justice inside the ring. They must, therefore, conduct themselves with absolute integrity and honor. A judge must have eyes on the fight during the three minutes of the round, must have no preference for any boxer or country and be absolutely impartial.
Assuring that the World Boxing Council has honorable judges who would never compromise or betray the basic values of the WBC.
Mr. Jose Manzur explained that the greatest quality that a judge must have is impartiality and the ability to focus since sometimes it is difficult to achieve this, since being in the arena many factors can affect concentration. He assured that when he receives an appointment for a fight The first thing he does is watch videos of the fighters to find out their styles to make himself familiar with each participant..
For Omar Mintum, the work of a judge must be very precise, since they must record on the cards what is happening above in the ring and, like our other panelists, it is very important to arrive prepared for the fight that was assigned to them.
He assured that all the judges, like fighters should start their career with four-round fights and from there, according to their results, they climb until they reach the more meaningful fights, slowly progressing..
Juan Carlos Pelayo, was emphatic when saying that the impartiality with which he qualifies has to do with the judge’s experience since one must identify the most effective fighter. it is his responsibility to judge him impartially and fairly. He added that passion for boxing is essential for a judge because that is the origin of the need to become the man who administers justice.
Among many of the topics that were addressed, was the fear that many judges have when giving a score of 10-8, However, the leader of the organization assured that one of the tasks of the WBC is to educate the judges that when a fighter has been visibly punished and has not given adequate resistance, the round should be given on 10-8.
Responding to the doubts of the fans, who should be noted were very active, the invited judges as well as the President of the WBC, assured that the score of 10-10 exists, although it is not seen much, as there is usually always a winner of the round. However, it can happen even though some commissions are prohibited from 10-10.
To conclude, our judges agreed after seeing some examples of how to qualify a fight, that to give a fighter the round, he must show effective aggressiveness and that a fight is not won in a single round (unless there is a knockout) but round after round.
The WBC concluded by taking the time to offer Jose Manzur family their best prayers and wishes as his daughter is fighting against COVID-19. The WBC are sure she will win this fight by KO!
