Samuel Peter vs. James Toney

(My Rant)

by Ysreal Rangel

September 2, 2006

Staples Center

Los Angeles, California

This past Saturday night, we (well most boxing we) got to watch slick James Toney take on Sam Peter at

the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

I remember days leading up to the fight, having friends ask me "who's gonna win?" and my response being

"It'll be a close fight I think." My thinking on the fight was always - 1) Peter has got the power, that's for

damn sure, but does not have the stamina or skills to keep Toney in one spot so that he can drop those

bombs on Toney - 2) Toney has the skill...he will out box Peter all night, but how long can he keep it up?

Either way, I knew it would be a good fight.

Well, the fight was good - Toney was slick, Peter was missing punches, Toney would counter-punch well,

Peter would hit Toney on the side of the head or behind it...good stuff. That's all I really have to say about the

fight...because this isn't just about the fight, it's about the scoring, the announcing, judges from Mars - all

that crap that frustrates boxing fans.

I write for this web site but I'm no self-proclaimed boxing expert - I like to think that first and foremost, I'm a

fight fan. So...I'm going to rant a little about the sport I love.

First of all, there is no DAMN!!! way, in my OPINION, that Toney lost that fight....let alone by the scores of

115-112 Toney and 116-111 Peter twice. HOLLY CRAP!!!! Peter had a point taken away...WOW!!! How do

you lose a point and still win by that margin? What disappoints me the most is that SHOWTIME use to not

have stuff like this happen (lame scoring). I even watched the fight later with no sound (something I reserve

for HBO fights) just to re-analyze, and guess what, I still thought Toney won. Now here is the problem - and

this is what pisses off most fans and this is what the sport of BOXING (all those involved) seem not to

understand - If something isn't done about the scoring or the lack of good scoring, boxing is going to lose

fans, people will lose faith in the system. In most part, I have. If Toney lost by one or two rounds, that would

be one thing but to have that fight a blow out with a point taken from the winner...that doesn't look right, it

looks corrupt...sorry but it does. I'm not mad that Toney lost (by the way I scored it 115-112 Toney), it's the

margin of the loss that makes the system look corrupt...or just seriously broken and in need of an overhaul.

I'm surprised there is not more outrage by writers...but hey, maybe it's just me...the fight fan who is mad. If I

were a so called boxing expert, I'd be mad that I was always picking the wrong fighter because of bad

scoring. I don't only blame the judges though.

Let's get to the fight announcing - I was really disappointed with Showtime this fight, as they usually

announce from the center (not like HBO). HBO in my eyes always seems to favor one fighter before the fight

and their announcing tends to favor that fighter...in my opinion. This night, the guys seemed to already know

that Peter was going to knock Toney out and that it was just a matter of time. Every time Peter landed a

right, it was like "Oh! Peter lands a right and Toney is hurt" - B.S.!!!  With the way Toney fights most of the

time, he looks off balance, and with the extra weight up front, he probably is. I think what most fight fans,

who have never been to a fight in Vegas or at all, don't realize is that for the most part, it's not that loud in the

arena - you don't hear the announcing during the fight but it is very easy for the fight judges to hear the

announcing. In my opinion, this is a disadvantage for the judge...he is only one man and the fact that two or

three other guys in hearing distance might see something you missed, it would be human nature to take that

into consideration...and the judges are only human. Oh, and why didn't we get, after the fight or in any

boxing write ups, the punch stats for the fight? I still don't know them. Anyway, the announcing really got to

me this night...they really seemed to be on Peter's side. Jim Grey - I'm surprised he hasn't been knocked

out yet by a fighter - man this guy is a horrible interviewer - how did he get his job? For him to suggest that

Freddie Roach (Toney's trainer) sounded desperate and that Toney needed a knockout to win is just wrong

- I've also read that enough after the fight to think that maybe some didn't watch the fight. Roach said "knock

him on his butt" - and during that time and by looking at the fight, I think he said it because Peter was dead

tired - I think Roach though that Toney could have knocked out Peter in the last round.

Well, the fight is over but the scoring nightmare still lingers like an egg salad fart in a car with the windows

closed - and I, as a boxing fan, have lost faith in the boxing system - again, not because Toney lost but for

the disappointing display in the lack of scoring integrity. Oh...I almost forgot SHOWTIME asked if Peter is

the new savior of the heavyweight division and will he spark interest in the heavyweights...I say NO!

It's hard to get excited about a fighter that you feel lost the fight - people don't get excited about the loser

(of that fight) who was handed a very badly scored decision. I would say maybe...had he won by 1.

Ysreal (TKO909) Rangel

- Please feel free to e-mail my with questions or comments to yrangel@thefightgame.tv.

(9/6/06)