In the wee morning hours of August 27, 2017, Eastern Standard Time, Floyd Mayweather beat a tiring Conor McGregor in a $500 million+ boxing match. The final decision came inside of the ring, and even if you thought the ref jumped in too quickly, which was debatable, there was no doubt in the outcome. McGregor was just getting pounded in the ninth, and especially, the tenth.
The problem is, the first 8 rounds were a dead heat. Don't believe me? How about these sources from all across the World:
Sports Illustrated: 76-76
USA Today: 76-76
CompuBox (Total Punches Landed): 77-76 Mayweather
Showtime: 76-76
Daily Mail UK: 77-75 Mayweather
MMA Fighting: 77-75 McGregor
CBS Sports Boxing: 76-76
Yahoo Australia: 76-76
LA Times: 76-76
Associated Press: 77-75 Mayweather
...need I continue?
So all of these professional outlets, in all corners of the sporting universe, had McGregor winning, a minimum, of 3 rounds out of 8. Most had it as a 4 round tie after 8. Now re-reading all 10 sources, all authors had sound rational and went on the record with what they had seen, in real time.
Somehow, magically, 2 of the 3 only opinions that mattered, were severely skewered in Floyd Mayweather's direction. 79-73 on the official scorecard. The only round those 2 judges gave to McGregor was the 1st. You know, the one where Mayweather only landed 2 punches. (Not Hyperbole.) You saw the fight. I saw the fight. There is no way McGregor only won one round. Not only were the judges negligent. They were CRIMINALLY NEGLIGENT.
Exhibit A
At first I thought maybe there was a point deduction from the referee that I had missed, but no, there's a column for that, and it's blank. Why am I so mad? Because the first 8 rounds in real life reminded me why boxing was such a popular sport to watch. And the Official Score Card reminded me why boxing sucks and why I rarely watch it anymore. The integrity of the sport was stolen away a generation ago.
If I were UFC President Dana White, I would demand that judges Burt Clements & Guido Cavalleri be banned for life for crossover fights involving UFC athletes just to keep the stink of foul play away from the sport that he built. I would demand the same of boxing, that they hold Clements' and Cavalleri's feet to the fire, but again, boxing and integrity aren't exactly words that go together.
If I lived in Las Vegas, I would take the scorecard to the police department and ask them to investigate a crime. I don't think Mayweather was involved, and he 100% earned his victory, but that scorecard is so egregious someone needs to stop Clements and Cavalleri before they ruin a championship level event that actually makes it to the judges table.
File Photo of Clements and Cavalleri on Fight Night