General secretary of the BBBofC explains their ultimate decision.
When Derek Chisora threw down with Deontay Wilder last week, there was nobody who could have possibly complained about the action in the ring.
Well, the “action” that involved punches, at least.
That other “action”–namely, the refereeing–became the subject of many complaints, with a lot of viewers holding the opinion that Mark Bates (the third man in the ring on the night) acted in a biased manner towards Chisora.
Because of the several unusual events that occurred during the fight, Robert Smith (general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control) claimed that a review of Bates’s performance would take place at a board meeting yesterday.
The BBBofC have now cast their final judgement, and Smith has explained the reasoning behind how they have chosen to decide on the case.
Regarding an event early on in the fight where Chisora cornerman Alexis Demetriades entered the ring during a clinching match between the two fighters, Smith explained that there is no rule under the BBBofC that states a trainer can’t enter the ring, unlike select jurisdictions in America.
“That’s not to say the referee can’t use their discretion and issue a disqualification”, Smith told BoxingScene. “And boxers have been disqualified under similar circumstances, albeit when the trainer interferes with the fight or they enter the ring more than once. But on this occasion, the referee used his discretion, understood it was right at the beginning of the fight, and aside from the trainer being warned, no action was taken. We accept that.”
Next, regarding when Chisora was seemingly helped up by his corner after being knocked through the ropes in the 8th round, Smith said, “I thought [Chisora] was held, but watching it in real time, I did not believe he was helped up. Certainly, he was instinctively stopped from falling onto the television monitors. I’m not saying I’m wrong or right, but it is important to remember that the referee does not get to see multiple replays from multiple angles [like those at home or in the crowd do]. He has a split-second to make a decision based on what he can see.”
And on the moment when Bates momentarily halted the action when Chisora complained of an eye issue, Smith stated, “The referee explained that it all happened exceptionally quickly, and he briefly intervened because he initially didn’t understand what Chisora was saying to him.”
To conclude, Smith said, “During my time, numerous officials have been called before the board to explain [their actions in a fight]. We have withdrawn licenses or downgraded officials. On this occasion, however, the board did not believe any further action was necessary and were satisfied that he refereed a messy fight in an honest manner.”
So, ultimately, the BBBofC did not find any issue with Mr. Bates’s refereeing and shall not be punishing him as a result.
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