PRETTY (LUCKY) BOY FLOYD
www.insideboxing.com

By Moncayo Blackbull  blackbull@insideboxing.com

INSIDE BOXING - (April 21, 2002) Boxing fans were treated to a couple of good boxing contests Friday night. HBO presented two exciting bouts featuring Stevie Johnston versus Alejandro Gonzalez in a WBC elimination bout; and lightweight king Jose Luis Castillo putting his crown on the line against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Johnston, the former WBC lightweight champion, won a unanimous decision as he out-pointed Gonzalez to remain in the hunt for a title shot and a chance to regain his title.

Mayweather Jr. was successful in defeating Castillo as he was awarded a unanimous decision. Ringside judges John Keane of England and Jerry Roth of Las Vegas both scored the fight 115 to 111 in favor of Mayweather, while Anek Hongtonggkam of Thailand saw the fight 116 to 111, also in favor of Mayweather.  And by the looks of these scores one would think Castillo must have failed to show up for the fight.  Mayweather must have just mopped up the canvas with Castillo. Unfortunately for Castillo, the Judges must have been focusing their attention on the ring card girls and not the fight.

The excitement of seeing their names on HBO and receiving an all-expenses paid trip to Sin City must have been too much for the two out-of-country judges. Mayweather is an HBO guy, isn't he? I did not see any HBO commercials featuring Castillo before the fight. As for Jerry Roth, well, he has a tendency to pick his winner before the fight even begins.

How else can we explain a decision where Castillo throws more punches, connects with more punches, does the most damage with his punches and still loses the fight? That doesn't even take into account the ring generalship showed by Castillo in which he effectively cut off the ring and prevented Mayweather from boxing and running.

Maybe Vegas stood to lose too much money if Castillo won... Nah, let's scratch that one. The odds pretty much protect Vegas from taking a bath on any event.  Casinos are in the business to make money no matter who or what side wins.

OK, so how can this happen? Judges are schooled on how to judge a fight, right?  Could it be they are told who should win?

Bottom line is, Mayweather lost this fight but was awarded the victory.  We can scratch our heads as to why, but this is boxing, a sport so corrupt, anything can happen. No longer do you have to "take" the title away from a champion, you just have to be in the future plans of HBO and the "powers that be" in boxing. 

Mayweather is not the lightweight champion of the world. He is the HBO lightweight champion.

Pretty (lucky) Boy Floyd, how does it feel to be a phony champion?  The stench of your belt can be smelled throughout the world. And please, don't give us the old "I fought with an injury'' bit. Excuses are a dime a dozen. Was it not a few days before the fight that you lifted your shirt and told the world you were in the best shape of your life?

This decision was a slap in the face to the Mexican and Latino people.  Does HBO, the Nevada Boxing Commission and promoter Bob Arum feel the Mexican people are Sheep? "Rob the Mexican fighter and his people will pay more to see a rematch!" Is this the message we are getting from this disgraceful decision?

The Mexican people are brown in color so maybe they won't see the shit smeared all over their faces by these kind of ridiculous decisions. But hey, amigos. They are going to give Castillo a rematch, so pull out your billfolds and pay to see Castillo and the Mexican people get robbed again!

When will Univision or Telemundo step up to the plate and take care of the Latino people?