ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL DECISION IN THAILAND
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 06 Sep 2008
There's been another controversial decision in Thailand and the question that needs to be resolved is whether Philippine super bantamweight champion Jun Talape was a victim of biased judging in Thailand when he lost a split twelve round decision to Wethya Sakmuangklang in an Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title fight or was the Filipino judge biased in his scoring?
www.insidesports.ph learned that the 32 year old Thai southpaw who is ranked No. 8 by the WBC was initially overweight and the Thais attempted to hide the fact and manipulate the weight but eagle-eyed Filipinos stopped it.
The controversy took place during the fight itself when two judges, one from Thailand and another from Korea scored the fight by a lopsided 117-111 margin for Wethya while Filipino judge Arnel Pasion scored the fight exactly the opposite, having Talape the winner by an identical 117-111 score. In effect it was a 12 point difference which sparked the controversy.
Inside Sports checked with Games and Amusements Board boxing division chief Dr. Nasser Cruz about the Filipino judge assigned to the fight and Dr. Cruz vouched for the integrity and competence of Pasion.
The split decision win by Wethya improved his record to 78-4 with 46 knockouts while the tough Talape who is a 22 year old southpaw dropped to 17-6-1 with 7 knockouts.
In an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph from Bangkok while preparing to leave for the airport to catch a return flight to Manila , Talape?s manager Jay San Pedro of the Tiger City gym in Mandaluyong took the loss well. He said that while the decision was ?too much, sobra talaga, it?s okay.?
San Pedro said Talape was dropped in the second round but came back to send the Thai to the canvas in the very next round.
He also said that the fight was staged in stifling heat at 3:00 p.m. which also was difficult to deal with.
Talape who won the Philippine 122 pound title with a unanimous twelve round decision over Jake Verano on November 14, 2007 was coming off a ten round draw against Yuya Miyagi in Shizuoka, Japan last April 6.
Wethya Sakmuangklang who lost by a sixth round TKO to Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao in a WBC International super bantamweight title fight on April 28, 2001 was coming off three brief knockouts against unknown Thai fighters this year.
Wethya had also fought for the WBC featherweight title but lost a unanimous decision to Guty Espadas Jr who won the title from the Philippines Luisito Espinosa in Merida , Mexico .
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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