Buffalo Barbarian Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Knockdowns are exceedingly rare in Olympic boxing. Japan's Satoshi Shimizu knocked down Azerbaijan's Magomed Abdulhamidov five times in the third and final round of their bantamweight bout yesterday. And yet, the judges scored the round in favor of the one who spent more time on the canvas than on his feet. "I was shocked by the final scores. He fell down so many times," Shimizu said. "Why didn't I win? I don't understand." After Abdulhamidov was awarded the 22-17 victory over Shimizu, the uproar began. Fans rained boos from the stands, and Japanese officials immediately lodged a protest. It was, by any account, the biggest competitive disgrace of the Olympics so far. And there's reason to ask if this was more than the usual Olympic boxing incompetence, but rather something more sinister. Last September, BBC Newsnight presented evidence that Azerbaijan had paid millions of dollars in an international boxing organization, in return for a guarantee that two Azerbaijanis would win gold medals at these London Olympics. They found documents showing a $9 million bank transfer, funneled through Switzerland, to a boxing organization owned by AIBA, which oversees Olympic boxing. Whistleblowers reported that the money came from an Azerbaijan government minister, and were strictly a cash-for-medals exchange. http://deadspin.com/5931226/was-this-disgraceful-olympic-boxing-match-fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 A little OT, but...wow, what the hell? I hadn't heard that one yet. I was still reeling from the fencing travesty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 A little OT, but...wow, what the hell? I hadn't heard that one yet. I was still reeling from the fencing travesty. What happened with fencing, after Zagunis crashed and burned I didn't watch anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justnzane Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 (edited) To be fair, the boxing decision in question was reversed as the referee didn't do his job in ruling the Azerbaijani down as a knockdown but "as a slip". The referee was suspended and the Japanese boxer advanced. I love watching a good boxing match as much as most sports enthusiasts, but the corruption within the sport is a big reason why it is not at the level it was in the 70's. Furthermore, with a clearly stunned and injured Azerbaijani, that official put this young man's health and life on the line to the point where he could have been killed. It is an abortion and travesty that slime ball refs get into these positions. If you haven't seen this BS. Here is the link http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/boxing/highlights-japanese-boxer-robbed-by-controversial-decision.html Edited August 4, 2012 by justnzane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 To be fair, the boxing decision in question was reversed as the referee didn't do his job in ruling the Azerbaijani down as a knockdown but "as a slip". The referee was suspended and the Japanese boxer advanced. I love watching a good boxing match as much as most sports enthusiasts, but the corruption within the sport is a big reason why it is not at the level it was in the 70's. Furthermore, with a clearly stunned and injured Azerbaijani, that official put this young man's health and life on the line to the point where he could have been killed. It is an abortion and travesty that slime ball refs get into these positions. If you haven't seen this BS. Here is the link http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/boxing/highlights-japanese-boxer-robbed-by-controversial-decision.html That's pretty much describes abomination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Knockdowns are exceedingly rare in Olympic boxing. Japan's Satoshi Shimizu knocked down Azerbaijan's Magomed Abdulhamidov five times in the third and final round of their bantamweight bout yesterday. And yet, the judges scored the round in favor of the one who spent more time on the canvas than on his feet. "I was shocked by the final scores. He fell down so many times," Shimizu said. "Why didn't I win? I don't understand." After Abdulhamidov was awarded the 22-17 victory over Shimizu, the uproar began. Fans rained boos from the stands, and Japanese officials immediately lodged a protest. It was, by any account, the biggest competitive disgrace of the Olympics so far. And there's reason to ask if this was more than the usual Olympic boxing incompetence, but rather something more sinister. Last September, BBC Newsnight presented evidence that Azerbaijan had paid millions of dollars in an international boxing organization, in return for a guarantee that two Azerbaijanis would win gold medals at these London Olympics. They found documents showing a $9 million bank transfer, funneled through Switzerland, to a boxing organization owned by AIBA, which oversees Olympic boxing. Whistleblowers reported that the money came from an Azerbaijan government minister, and were strictly a cash-for-medals exchange. http://deadspin.com/5931226/was-this-disgraceful-olympic-boxing-match-fixed As someone else pointed out, that was properly overturned. But American Errol Spence also got screwed. I just happened to turn the Toob on when he was fighting against Vikas from India. Spence clearly won the fight and when it was being announced, the ref even prematurely held up Spence's hand while they were announcing the winner, but it ended up being Vikas. To Vikas' credit, he seemed like he knew that he didn't deserve to win. They came over to talk to him and he just kind of yanked himself away from them and the camera with a disgusted look on his face. It wasn't as bad as the Roy Jones debacle years ago, but for the same reasons, Olympic boxing is all but meaningless w/o a detailed investigative financial audit of all of the judges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollars 2 donuts Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 (edited) You call that an abomination? Sincerely, Roy Jones Jr. 1988 Olympic "silver" medalist Sorry, new with the iPad and I don't know how to copy or link but just google Roy's name and Olympics...what a crime. Edit: sorry tasker, I missed your reference to it above...not trying to steal your thunder. Edited August 4, 2012 by dollars 2 donuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincec Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Unfortunately, boxing is littered with questionable decisions- both in the amateur and professional ranks. It almost makes you wonder if they weren't better off when the event went until somebody quit or was knocked out, even if it lasted 100 rounds. Going to the judges is a recipe for disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 What happened with fencing, after Zagunis crashed and burned I didn't watch anymore? http://zeenews.india.com/sports/london-olympics-2012/controversies/olympics-2102-fencing-korean-girl-falls-victim-to-timing-error_746532.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 (edited) It's really hard for me to get interested and watch events where the winner isn't determined by clear goals, electronically / photo- or videographically proved times or finish-place. Add humanity to the judgement mix and watch everything go to stevestojan, either by corruption or incompetence. In diving, for example, when you see a score of 6.5 next to a score of 9.5... something's wrong with the human system. And my unease isn't mollified by "throwing out" the two highest and two lowest scores --- that's just an admission from the IOC that judges' scores are either corrupt or incompetent. What I don't get is... they have computer programs that analyze each movement, the arcs, can measure feet coming apart, etc. In international sport, money talks even easier than in league sports around the world because it adds a whole new dimension to the corruption. Vote-buying scandals for host-nation committees, kickbacks, referee-bribery are rife. To go along with the general corruption in European society, FIFA is among the worst. Edited August 4, 2012 by UConn James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincec Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 "We were confronted by a dilemma: to take the right decision from a human point of view or the right decision from the point of view of fencing rules, which aren`t perfect. The technical committee decided to take the second route." In other words, they could do the right thing or follow some rule even though it is wrong. They chose to do the wrong thing. Yup, that's what athletic competition is all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justnzane Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 (edited) Actually another BS thing in Olympics Aly Raisman of the US in Gymnastics ties for 3rd place in the all-around. However, there is a goofy tiebreaker where the lowest score is tossed out. So the American gets screwed out of a bronze medal while the Russians get silver and bronze. In a sport where they measure by the 1000ths of a point, I find it absurd to even have such a tie breaker in place, give em both a freaking bronze. Also, this is on the heels of Raisman getting the 2nd American spot in the all-around over the defending world champion Jordyn Wieber, where each country gets only 2 athletes regardless of quality in the all-around. So the world champ, easily had a better score than some of the other top 8 gymnasts and couldn't compete. Even more bull. At least US, got gold Edited August 4, 2012 by justnzane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 I think the worst one ever was when the original dream team with Jordan and Ewing and the rest lost to the Russians after they gave the Russians 3 or 4 tries to make a full court play. Eventually they scored a layup. Every time they missed they came up with some bs and gave them another try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 To be fair, the boxing decision in question was reversed as the referee didn't do his job in ruling the Azerbaijani down as a knockdown but "as a slip". The referee was suspended and the Japanese boxer advanced. I love watching a good boxing match as much as most sports enthusiasts, but the corruption within the sport is a big reason why it is not at the level it was in the 70's. Furthermore, with a clearly stunned and injured Azerbaijani, that official put this young man's health and life on the line to the point where he could have been killed. It is an abortion and travesty that slime ball refs get into these positions. If you haven't seen this BS. Here is the link http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/boxing/highlights-japanese-boxer-robbed-by-controversial-decision.html The referee wasn't the only problem. The judges scored the match 22-17 for the Azeri. They awarded the final round (where he was knocked down 5 times). The refs job was to keep the fight going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Actually another BS thing in Olympics Aly Raisman of the US in Gymnastics ties for 3rd place in the all-around. However, there is a goofy tiebreaker where the lowest score is tossed out. So the American gets screwed out of a bronze medal while the Russians get silver and bronze. In a sport where they measure by the 1000ths of a point, I find it absurd to even have such a tie breaker in place, give em both a freaking bronze. Also, this is on the heels of Raisman getting the 2nd American spot in the all-around over the defending world champion Jordyn Wieber, where each country gets only 2 athletes regardless of quality in the all-around. So the world champ, easily had a better score than some of the other top 8 gymnasts and couldn't compete. Even more bull. At least US, got gold All sports that involve judging are a disgrace, especially diving. Diving rules are "give china the gold no matter how poor they dive" and then let everyone else compete for the silver and bronze. When i see 4 people/teams make similar dives, and 3 of them score the about the same and the chinese score significant;y higher, you know something stinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Fischer Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I like boxing, but IMO, it's not a sport if the winner is determined by a judge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Knockdowns are exceedingly rare in Olympic boxing. Japan's Satoshi Shimizu knocked down Azerbaijan's Magomed Abdulhamidov five times in the third and final round of their bantamweight bout yesterday. And yet, the judges scored the round in favor of the one who spent more time on the canvas than on his feet. "I was shocked by the final scores. He fell down so many times," Shimizu said. "Why didn't I win? I don't understand." After Abdulhamidov was awarded the 22-17 victory over Shimizu, the uproar began. Fans rained boos from the stands, and Japanese officials immediately lodged a protest. It was, by any account, the biggest competitive disgrace of the Olympics so far. And there's reason to ask if this was more than the usual Olympic boxing incompetence, but rather something more sinister. Last September, BBC Newsnight presented evidence that Azerbaijan had paid millions of dollars in an international boxing organization, in return for a guarantee that two Azerbaijanis would win gold medals at these London Olympics. They found documents showing a $9 million bank transfer, funneled through Switzerland, to a boxing organization owned by AIBA, which oversees Olympic boxing. Whistleblowers reported that the money came from an Azerbaijan government minister, and were strictly a cash-for-medals exchange. http://deadspin.com/5931226/was-this-disgraceful-olympic-boxing-match-fixed That was such a blatant fix I am suddenly a Satoshi Shimizu fan. He fights next tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBeane Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 All sports that involve judging are a disgrace, especially diving. Diving rules are "give china the gold no matter how poor they dive" and then let everyone else compete for the silver and bronze. When i see 4 people/teams make similar dives, and 3 of them score the about the same and the chinese score significant;y higher, you know something stinks. Maybe you just don't understand the scoring diving uses. The Chinese are and have been the best divers in the world for a long time. I do agree that judging can become problematic but there is no way to remove the human element from scoring certain sports, especially diving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 As someone else pointed out, that was properly overturned. But American Errol Spence also got screwed. I just happened to turn the Toob on when he was fighting against Vikas from India. Spence clearly won the fight and when it was being announced, the ref even prematurely held up Spence's hand while they were announcing the winner, but it ended up being Vikas. To Vikas' credit, he seemed like he knew that he didn't deserve to win. They came over to talk to him and he just kind of yanked himself away from them and the camera with a disgusted look on his face. It wasn't as bad as the Roy Jones debacle years ago, but for the same reasons, Olympic boxing is all but meaningless w/o a detailed investigative financial audit of all of the judges. Spence fight was also overturned... He gets to fight on. Vikas spit out his mouthpiece which should have been a 4 point deduction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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