Shawn Porter Goes on a Rant to Explain Why Judging in Boxing Is Broken

There is no shortage of bewildering decisions in boxing—you hear about it every now and then. That decision was a robbery; this fighter did enough to win, etc! Some say it’s corruption, while others point their finger at incompetence, and former world champion Shawn Porter seems to have the same opinion. ‘Showtime’ Porter was one of the greatest welterweight boxers of his time, having collected multiple belts. Despite retiring back in November 2021 after a knockout defeat against Terence Crawford, he stays quite active in the community through his YouTube channel. And that’s where this story begins!

Shawn Porter proposes an easy solution to the judging problem

Speaking to his co-host on The Porter Way Podcast, Porter, right off the bat, seemed disappointed with the officiating. He said, “You gotta get boxers around the ring”, adding that people desperately want to see a drastic change in the way fights are judged, but that ain’t happening. Why, you may ask?

“Because the people that are around the ring aren’t the people who have been in the ring”, the former world champion explained. Further elaborating on his point, Porter emphasized, “They don’t truly know what they are seeing”. Whereas if a boxer were to be placed in the judging seats, they would have the understanding of the minute details of what’s actually happening inside the ring.

Frustrated with the inability to actually do something about the judging problem in boxing, Porter finished his rant by stating, “I am not gonna get mad and emotional, but the judges around the ring aren’t fighters, so they aren’t trained”.

While there could be many fights to showcase the sheer incompetence in judging, one from July 2011 stands out the most.

The Paul Williams vs. Erislandy Lara debacle

The night at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City started like any other—among the roaring crowd, Paul Williams and Erislandy Lara met in the center of the ring to put on a show. Lara was undefeated at the time, while Williams was the more experienced one. Despite that, Lara utterly dominated his opponent, never truly losing control of the fight. After Williams was pummeled for 12 rounds straight, it was clear Lara would walk home with the win. 

But! That was not the case! Surprisingly, Williams was handed a majority division win, with one judge scoring the fight 114-114, while others gave it to Williams with 116-114 and 115-114. The decision was branded incompetent by everyone who saw the fight, and as a result, the three judges who worked in the fight were indefinitely suspended by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board.

It’s truly high time that judging in boxing is taken care of, and referees with valuable experience and competence are roped in. But the question is, will that ever happen? Or fans can only expect such revolutions from the Saudis? Only time will tell! What do you think?