Byrd’s sham card
“Ridiculous” can’t even begin to describe the farce of a draw in which the Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez bout ended. True, both pugilists came to the ring with the intent of making full use of their fists, and, for the most part, they succeeded, with CompuBox scores reflecting the closeness of the match. If nothing else, however, it’s precisely because the fight was competitive from the get-go and until the final bell rang that judge Adalaide Byrd’s 118-110 card made absolutely no sense.
To be sure, Golovkin, whom even casual observers pegged to have won the contest, wound up keeping his WBA, WBC, and IBF championships in light of the decision. Then again, there’s a mountain of difference between winning ( which he looked to have done) and retaining ( which he wound up doing) his belts. Moreover, an assertion of the equity of the incumbent excuses the travesty that Byrd heaped upon the already-embattled sport.
Which is not to say longtime boxing habitues were shocked by the outcome. To begin with, the spectacle occurred in Las Vegas, where anything can happen, and where everything has happened. Not coincidentally, it houses ring arbiters with, say, eclectic viewpoints. And in this milieu, Byrd is considered “an outstanding judge,” as Bob Bennett, executive director of the Nevada Athletic State Commission, contended. She’s done over 115 title fights and/or elimination bouts… In any business, sometimes you have a bad day.”
What Bennett neglected to mention in his defense of Byrd was the latter’s penchant for “bad days.” Her resume is littered with controversial records, even in mixed martial arts. And yet Bennett cited her extensive work with the Commission outside of sanctioned bouts. “She does a great deal of our training, takes a lot of our judges under her wing.” Yikes. The idea of her molding future assessors doesn’t inspire confidence; it evokes dread.
For the kings and kingmakers, though, life goes on. After all, the travesty that Byrd heaped, which longtime trainer and commentator Teddy Atlas attributed to “corruption,” is simply the latest in a long line of head-scratching developments in the sport. Besides, there’s good news for them: The cloud hanging over the result sets up well for a rematch, where more big bucks await. Heck, shady characters in smoke-filled backrooms are already counting the money this early. And why not? The rest of the world can’t help but
keep coming back for more.