By Lucian Parfitt

Miguel Cotto defended his WBO junior welterweight title on Saturday, but in highly contentious circumstances. Cotto did appear to be on his way to victory after knocking down Corley twice and forcing him to take a knee, but it was clear to most that although hurt, this was a calculated decision by Corley. Then suddenly the hometown referee Ismael Quinones Falu took the opportunity to ensure the result the hometown fans were looking for. After dipping low to avoid a hook, the American Corley took a knee to suspend the punishment, then Falu, notably a Puerto Rican called the fight to a halt for an unquestionably dubious stoppage.

This dubious decision could merely be viewed as a compassionate mistake by Falu but what’s undoubtedly fishy is the appointment of Falu, which essentially violates the rules of the WBO, which state the referee should not be from the same place, residence or origin of the champion. Falu’s decisions, not just at the conclusion but throughout, left a stench of corruption that unfortunately still ruminates within boxing’s governing bodies. 

In front of a raucous home crowd Miguel Cotto had perhaps his toughest test yet in the pro ranks, and showed great resilience to get through a 3rd round beating, in which Corley could have stooped the young Puerto Rican. The fact it became a life or death struggle for Cotto must be worrying for Bob Arum and co seeing as Corley had been shut out and softened up with very little fuss by Floyd Mayweather and Zab Judah previously. On Saturday the usually calm and calculated Cotto seemed anxious, perhaps it was over exuberance to impress his home crowd, but he was let off several times by referee Falu, once in the 1st round for punching after the bell, several times for low blows, and in the 5th when Falu had valid grounds for disqualification when Cotto continued to clobber Corley when he was down Roy Jones style.

Afterwards the referee explained the stoppage as you would expect, a compassionate decision towards the battered Corley. “My job is to prevent any unnecessary punishment to the fighter. When I saw him take a knee I told him to stand up. He did, but then went right back down and complained that it had been a foul”. This explanation appears to be heartfelt, but he also seems also to acknowledge that Corley had his senses about him at the time of the stoppage.

There was no doubt that Corley had all his faculties about him, and the decision to take a knee was simply an act of a clever veteran fighter to avoid further punishment, not the act of submission that the referee appeared to take it for. In a supposed ‘Championship fight’ the referee should give the fighter every chance to get out of trouble as he granted Cotto in round 3, where the Puerto Rican equally as hurt as Corley ever was, Saturday nights finish certainly left a bitter taste.

The apparent questionable refereeing in boxing is all the more alarming to me when I recall this is certainly not the first time I have witnessed such apparent bias. Eddie Cotton appeared to do everything possible to help the hapless Mike Tyson verses Lennox Lewis. And more notably and frequently in Germany, where in Sven Ottke’s defense vs. Robin Reid for example, Reid was told off, apparently for punching Ottke in the head! I cannot help but feel suspicious that referees often have been briefed to give one fighter all the help he can. This certainly seemed the case on Saturday where Falu appeared to do everything in his power to make sure the crowd and Bob Arum went home happy.