The scandal generated by Judge Adalaide Byrd in the match between Kazakhstan’s Gennady Golovkin and Mexican Saul “Canelo” Álvarez, who ended with a null verdict, forced the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, Bob Bennett, to offer explanations .
In his cards, Byrd gave Alvarez a winner with a score of 118-110, which meant that he saw him win in 10 of the 12 rounds of the fight.
While the other two judges of the bout, Dave Moreretti, gave winner to Golovkin (115-113), and Don Trella presented a tie (114-114).
“Adalaide, in my opinion, is an exceptional judge,” Bennett told reporters at the side of the ring while booed by fans at the T-Mobile Arena where the fight was held.
“She has done more than 115 fights for the title or elimination,” he recalled.
Bennett noted that Byrd had done a great job in teaching and mentoring the new judges who belong to the Nevada Athletic Commission.
“He has done a great job in training our judges, and many of them have given special support so that they can be overcome.”
However, Bennett acknowledged that the position of being a boxing judge is “very difficult”.
“Unfortunately, this time her decision was something special.I’m not putting any excuse.What I want to say is that she is a great judge and that in any business and profession, sometimes you have a bad day and that is what happened today “he admitted.
Bennett acknowledged that Byrd had seen a “completely different” fight that was attended by 22,358 fans who filled the stands of the T-Mobile Arena, information professionals, experts and their own teammates.
“The only thing I can say is that these things sometimes happen,” Bennett insisted, though his explanations did not soothe the moods of the fans who fired him with more booing.
According to CompuBox, the statistics system that controlled those that occurred during the 12 rounds lasted the fight, Golovkin, 35, who remains undefeated as a middleweight champion, International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Association (WBA) and the World Board (WBC), placed 218 hits of the 703 that he threw to Alvarez, a 31 percent hit.
Meanwhile, Alvarez, 27, hit Golovkin with 169 of the 505 he threw, a 34 percent success, but the undefeated champion struck more punches in 10 of the 12 rounds that lasted.
