The World Boxing Council ( WBC ) has returned the light heavyweight championship to Bernard Hopkins after declaring his bout with Chad Daws...
Bernard Hopkins separated his left shoulder after being thrown down by Chad Dawson last Saturday night at the Staples Center. After referee Pat Russell awarded Dawson the TKO victory, the WBC on Thursday awarded the belt back to Hopkins.
Hopkins was stopped for the first time in his career Saturday night in bizarre fashion when Dawson lifted him and tossed him to the canvas late in the second round.
Hopkins, 46, ended up with a dislocated joint in his shoulder. Dawson claimed the WBC light heavyweight title from Hopkins on a second-round TKO in Los Angeles, called by referee Pat Russell.
The WBC reviewed video of the fight and unanimously declared Thursday that the action reflects a clear intentional lifting the body followed with a push by Dawson to Hopkins that made him fall on his left side with part of his body out of the ropes.
Hopkins' injury also was taken into consideration.
The WBC also considered Dawson's foul violated the rule that was against "any rough tactics other than clean punches."
Hopkins, who said he will get the results of his MRI back on Friday, was happy and relieved by the decision.
"I'm happy man, because as a fighter, if I lose, I lose," Hopkins said by phone Thursday night. "When you come up short, it is what it is. But I don't think anybody likes something taken from them. I felt something was taken from me, but it wasn't by Chad Dawson. It was by a bad call.
"Pat Russell had a bad angle, I guess."
Hopkins said fight officials, including referees and judges, just like fighters themselves, might need to retire when they get to where they miss too many calls.
"The third man in the ring is crucial," he said. "More crucial than the judges. Because (the referee) has a physical part in that fight.
"He said he didn't see it from the angle that he was at. If an official gets things wrong that can change a guy's career . . .
"The WBC did the right thing and the video speaks for itself. A fight can get dirty, a fight can get rough. But when you grab one leg, you raise up, you nudge me real hard with your shoulder, then flag me, now I'm on the ground?"
Dawson told ESPN after the WBC made the decision to take back his belt, "(Hopkins) knew he couldn't beat me. That night he found a way out.
"I think it's wrong."
Hopkins, who reiterated there would be no rematch with Dawson, said what boxing desperately needs is instant replay, and if it had been used that night, the outcome would've been different.
"Larry Hazzard (former referee, longtime commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board and recent boxing hall of fame inductee) tried to introduce a bill on instant replay, in 1999 or 2000, and they shot it down.
"He called me and said there's no way (Dawson) should have walked out of that ring with the belt. He also said there's no way in the world that Pat Russell, under any circumstances, should have called it a TKO.
"I think Pat Russell — I have a lot of respect for the man, he's been in boxing 25-30 years — I think he got old that night. He missed an important call, and I don't want to see a fighter, especially a young fighter, that happened to be in that position, with what (Russell) called, that could change his career."
Hopkins said he hoped he could start a push toward instant replay off of what happened last Saturday.
"First, the fans got carjacked. And second, we're living in the 21st century. Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, tennis, soccer, we're the only sport that gets disrespected because we don't carry ourselves like we're supposed to, and that means (using) instant replay.
"It takes more time to introduce celebrities at a fight than it would take to look at a five-minute tape, and it would have been resolved. It's ridiculous. We're living in 1929, and boxing — yes we've come a long way, yes a lot of things are different from the '70s and '60s — but … this is a billion-dollar sport, and you mean to tell me we don't have instant replay?
"I was talking to someone who doesn't even watch or care about boxing, and when I explained to him what happened, he said, 'why didn't they look at the instant replay?'
"I'm not the smartest person in the world, but we got all these lawyers around boxing. there's more lawyers in boxing than any sport I know. They got all these universities, Harvard this and Harvard that, Yale this and Yale that, you mean to tell me that none of these smart guys came up with 'Why don't we get instant replay?'"
The WBC's result is not official because the California Boxing Commission, which reports the official results of the state's bouts to boxing's official record-keeper, Fight Fax, hasn't made a decision yet on the appeal by Hopkins and Golden Boy. A hearing is scheduled in a few weeks.
Here's how the WBC explained its decision:
In regards to the championship defense of the light heavyweight WBC world champion between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson, held in Los Angeles, California, in which the referee declared a KOT2 against champion Hopkins, as he could not continue due to an injury after a push by challenger Dawson, the head offices of the WBC sent videos, medical reports and the WBC corresponding Rules to the Board of Governors that unanimously declared a Technical Draw on the fight; therefore, Bernard Hopkins is still the WBC Light heavyweight champion of the world.
•The WBC Board of Governors, after reviewing the video of the fight, unanimously declared that the action reflects a clear intentional lifting the body followed with a push by Dawson to Hopkins that made him fall on his left side with part of his body out of the ropes.
•The California Hospital Medical Center report was also considered by the Board, which states "Bernard Hopkins has been released from the California Medical Center in Los Angeles after being X-rayed and examined by Dr. Sam Thurber, MD who diagnosed Hopkins with a separation of the acromioclavicular (A-C) joint which connects the collar bone and shoulder blade".
•The WBC considered that point 29 of the Rule WC-34, related to fouls was violated: "Any rough tactics other than clean punches", covered the ruling of the WBC.
WBC rule WC-32 was followed for the Board's consideration: "Injuries from head butts, elbows, or other accidental or illegal actions (injury). The following description applies to injuries from not only head butts and elbows, but from any other accidental or illegal action as well.
If the bout cannot continue:
•There will be a point deduction
•Technical draw if before the start of the 5th round
•Technical decision as per scorecards, (if after the fifth)..
No comments