After a video review of the Paul Williams-Erislandy Lara bout by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (N.J.S.A.C.B.) with the judges, Commissioner Aaron M. Davis had this to say in a letter to Golden Boy Promotions and Goossen Tutor Promotions:
“This agency has placed all three judges on indefinite suspension. Further, all three judges will be required to undergo additional training prior to their return to professional boxing judging. Any contestant who enters a ring or cage in our state deserves the best officiating that we can provide. Because we have a rich history of boxing and combat sports in New Jersey, we aspire to consistently improve in our officiating and strive to learn from this situation.”
A statement that Sampson Lewkowicz has praised and thanked the N.J.S.A.C.B., Commissioner Aaron M. Davis for having made. In the past, post fight statements made by various sanctioning bodies & boxing commissioners after questionable decisions such as “the judges had a bad night.” have been inexcusable. Perhaps this sets the precedent for other sanctioning bodies to take action against questionable decisions by judges. Even current Middleweight Champion, Sergio Martinez was subject to poor officiating on various occasions. What is often lost amidst all the criticism of the recent poor judging is the fact that those decisions affect a boxer’s career and families.
In a statement from Sampson Lewkowicz: “We are proud to see the commitment and steps that Commissioner Aaron M. Davis has taken to thrust such an important and necessary issue such as fair scoring in boxing in order to maintain the public trust in the sport that we love. I would like to take this moment to thank and glorify Commissioner Davis for the actions he took.”
