Controversy erupts as Moore gifted unpopular majority decision over Venezuelan

Nov 08, 2010 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin
Boxing buffs attending the Holland’s Enterprise Promotion ‘Caribbean Fury II’ boxing card at the Princess International Hotel Guyana last Saturday evening, erupted into heated debates and contentious exchanges when the main bout between Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore and Venezuela’s top boxing contender, Breilor Teran ended with a victory for the former fighter which the vast majority felt was emanated from ‘cockeyed’ judges.

Cries of ‘highway robbery’ and ‘these cheating officials’ punctuated the air as boxing buffs spared no effort to vent their feelings of what they described as a blatant case of partial judging.
Indeed, with Christmas Day still more than a month away Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore can already boast of receiving the biggest gift of his boxing career when he was awarded the unpopular majority points decision.
In the main supporting bout, Shondell Alfred survived against the game efforts of Teran’s ‘compadre,’ Olga Julio to claim a lopsided unanimous verdict of their bantamweight encounter while middleweight pugilist, Raul Frank outlasted ‘Dangerous’ Denny Dalton to inscribe yet another notch on his gun belt in one of the highly anticipated fights on the under card.
Local heavyweight, Gwendolyn ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil breezed past Pamela London to add some spark to her dwindling career, while Clive Atwell proved too good for Errol Trotman in their junior/lightweight clash. Mitchell Rogers underrated Kurt Bess and paid the price when the former fighter steamrolled him on the way to a close split decision in the heavyweight division moments before middleweights, James Walcott and Joel ‘Mr. Majestic’ McRae battled to an uninspiring drawn decision.
Earlier in the night, Canadian, Richard Reittie needed just 2:03secs of the first stanza to dispose of Mark Murray to take the honours in their middleweight encounter.
Teran made his intentions clearly in the early seconds of the first round when he unleashed a stiff right that sent Moore to the canvass. In all fairness to the Guyanese fighter, the fall occurred more from overbalance than force which might have caused the referee not to institute the mandatory eight count. Moore then asserted himself with some stinging jabs and right crosses. In the meantime, Teran stayed on his bicycle and proved elusive for Moore who failed to follow through with combinations.

The Guyanese multiple champion upped the ante in the second frame with piston jabs that kept the Venezuelan at bay. He then followed through with a straight right that dumped Teran on the canvass and the medium sized crowd that included President Bharrat Jagdeo and several top government functionaries settled down for the treat in store.
Moore decided to increase the pace in the third round but Teran continued to frustrate his efforts with some pinpoint jabs while dancing smoothly out of range. Moore began to show signs of frustration in the third round as most of his blows were landing either short of the mark or on Teran’s highly held guards.
The Guyanese pugilist seemed to have found the right rhythm in the fourth round peppering the Venezuelan with rights and lefts that kept him at bay. This round clearly belonged to Moore, who unleashed choice blows from his armory, backing up the Venezuelan on several occasions.
The action dwindled in rounds five and six as both principals took a well deserved breather. The action picked up again in the seventh round as Teran, who had worked himself into a decent rhythm, relentlessly pursued Moore, who by now had relinquished his attacking mode replacing right crosses and uppercuts with a tame jab and move strategy. It proved his undoing as Teran, who seemed to have found renewed energy, attacked relentlessly.
Suddenly, the Venezuelan lashed out with a venomous right which connected to Moore temple and the Guyanese slumped to the canvass. He survived the mandatory eight count but could not avert the onslaught from Teran who seemed to have found a second wind. As Teran applied the pressure, Moore swayed like a ship on the troubled sea and appeared weakened by the onslaught.
When the bell rang to signal the end of that round Moore’s manager, Carwyn Holland, realizing that his charge was losing ground, raised a chant with slow applause. Some members of the audience took up the cue and cheered Moore into the eight stanza. Buoyed by the support, Moore changed tactics but by now Teran had discovered his Achilles heel and moved in for the kill. His fists flailed, driving Moore backwards obviously intent on ending the bout.
The desired result came midway into the eighth round when Teran lashed out with a blow that connected to Moore’s face and sent him tumbling to the canvass. Many, except the referee, felt that the punch went a mite low and the third man nevertheless instituted the mandatory eight count.
The action reached fever pitch in the ninth round when Moore connected with a double straight left that pushed Teran backwards. He quickly recovered and dished out a similar portion to Moore who once again sought refuge in a clinch moments before the bell brought soothing relief.
Teran saved the best for last when he attacked at the sound of the bell to start the tenth stanza. Moore, by now spent from the grueling battle, retreated while attempting to stave off the vicious little Venezuelan. Only this time Teran refused to ease the pressure. Punches reigned supreme and the referee was once again called into duty after Teran clobbered Moore with an overhand right that sent him crashing to the canvass. The Guyanese multiple champion rose on wobbly legs while the third man tolled away the seconds.
It was around this juncture of the bout that the controversy had its genesis. The referee appeared to have reached the end of the ten count simultaneously with the bell. He did not wave the fight off which would have handed the decision to the Venezuelan by a knockout. Instead, he ushered both boxers to their respective corners to await the judges’ verdict. When the announcement came, pandemonium broke loose. Andrew Thorne had Moore ahead 94-93 while Clairmonte DeSouza scored it 95-93, also in favour of the Guyanese pugilist. Francis Abraham decided that the efforts of both boxers deserved a 94-94 verdict. The crowd voted overwhelmingly for the Venezuelan.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana Dario Morandy expressed disappointment in the verdict. He spent the entire night meters away from the ring apron cheering Teran on, constantly demonstrating unbridled ecstasy after the small framed Venezuelan had dominated an exchange. The ambassador described the decision as atrocious, supported by a jubilant cheering group of other Venezuelan nationals who also came out in support of Teran. They all felt that their countryman was ‘done in.’
Meanwhile, Alfred was a far cry from the boxer that had demolished Corrine van Ryck DeGroot to claim the WIBA bantamweight crown. The Guyanese pugilist lacked the timings and venom that had earned her the world championship and could consider herself lucky that Julio lacks power in her punches. The Colombian did manage to show up Alfred when she resorted to a stick and move strategy. Alfred pursued Julio with a flurry of mistimed punches that oft times fell short of their mark.
The O’Neil/London battle was not as action packed as many had envisaged. Instead, O’Neil who had recently said that she was on a mission ‘to beat up then beat out’ completed her mission with virtual ease. London did manage to shine sporadically but it all dwindled to zero as O’Neil took full control of the proceedings.
The Dalton/Frank clash ended in Frank’s favour even though the latter fighter landed some of his famous haymakers. Frank used his experience to stay on top of the situation and Dalton was left puzzled and bewildered to find an effective counteracting ploy.
While the boxers left the venue, deeply contemplating on what their Christmas gifts would be like this year, Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore could attest to the fact that Christmas sometimes comes in November.

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