The Night of Questionable Judging: Fernando Martinez Crowned Amid Controversy

By Amy A Kaplan - 07/07/2024 - Comments

Last night’s fight was nothing short of a scandal, with Fernando Martinez being crowned the new unified IBF-WBA super flyweight champion, thanks to some creatively blind judging. With scorecards like 120-108, 117-111, and 116-112, one has to wonder if the judges were watching the same fight or just scribbling random numbers during a nap?

Right from the start, Martinez threw everything but the kitchen sink, landing some decent shots. But let’s not get carried away; it wasn’t a one-man show. Ioka fired back with precision, targeting the body like he was drilling for oil, with most of his efforts seemingly invisible to the sight-challenged judges.

By the time the twelfth round rolled around, both fighters looked like they’d been through a war, trading blows that should have balanced the books. But according to our blind-as-bats judges, Martinez was in a league of his own. A convincing win? More like a great illusion. I scored the fight a draw.

Big applause for our judges, who must have left their guide dogs at home. Maybe next time, we can get a fair score or just let the dogs do the judging. At least they’d sniff out a more accurate result.

Boxing’s Blind Justice: Should Judges Face the Heat After Outrageous Scoring?

Moments ago in Tokyo, the Martinez-Ioka bout had the boxing world up in arms, and for good reason. Fernando Martinez grabbed the unified IBF-WBA super flyweight champion title in a fight that reeked of questionable judgment. With baffling scorecards reading 120-108, 117-111, and 116-112, one really has to ask: were the judges even paying attention, or just tossing out random numbers between snoozes?

If you’re looking for a sign that boxing might need a good shakeup or even a criminal investigation into its scoring practices, this might just be it.

All Results:

  • Fernando Martinez secured a unanimous decision victory over Kazuto Ioka (120-108, 117-111, 116-112) to win the IBF/WBA super flyweight world titles.
  • Seiya Tsutsumi triumphed over Weerawat Noolae by technical knockout in the fourth round in their super bantamweight bout.
  • Shun Sekine defeated Chaiyarat Sawansoda by technical knockout in the third round in their super lightweight match.
  • Yudai Murakami won against Hiro Ichimichi by unanimous decision after eight rounds in their lightweight fight.
  • Taiga Kato emerged victorious against Shi Dong by unanimous decision after six rounds in their super bantamweight contest.
  • Kantaro Juri earned a unanimous decision win over Phai Pharob after eight rounds in their super flyweight fight.
  • Aoi Yokoyama defeated Hao Wang by technical knockout in the second round in their bantamweight bout.


Last Updated on 07/07/2024