BRANCO MILENKOVIC BLASTS TEXAS COMMISSION
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 29 Oct 2012
Respected international, award-winning boxing promoter Branco Milenkovic has blasted the Texas Commission for preventing the IBF from appointing any officials for the recent IBF junior featherweight eliminator in which Mexico?s Alejandro Lopez won a controversial decision over South Africa?s Takalani Ndlovu with the crowd booing the decision at the El Paso, Texas County Coliseum.
Milenkovic told the Manila Standard that ?according to international media it was a very wrong decision? and indicated he would talk to the IBF and see what their opinion is.
He said ?What I know for the fact is that IBF was forbidden by local Commission to take any decisions with appointment of the officials, which is unheard of. After all, it is IBF sanctioned fight and IBF should have some kind of the say in the appointment of the officials. ?
Milenkovic said ?It is very sad situation as in the light of the fact that Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire vacated the title on the eve of his fight with Toshiaki Nishioka. He said Ndlovu as No. 3 should be fighting No. 2 Romero for the vacant title as the two highest available contenders and not No. 4 Lopez for Eliminator. Unfortunately Ndlovu was already committed to fight the eliminator.?
Once again it seems that incompetent referee Laurence Cole whose father uses his influence in Texas to get his son the big fights, messed up.
Ringside reporters Ricardo Trujillo and Oscar Castillo said ?The fifth was marred by a head butt from Lopez. While on the inside, Lopez swayed to his left and clearly butted the African above the left eye. No points were deducted because the butt was ruled accidental by referee Lawrence Cole. It put Ndlovu out of his rhythm and it took a couple of rounds to regain the form from round one.?
They reported that Lopez was rocked hard by the former bantamweight champ with a left hook right on the chops that caused him to the hold, sending both combatants tumbling to the canvas. At this point it looked like Lopez was gone for good. Somehow, he lasted the round. Lopez was deducted one point for holding ? it was all he could do.?
In a story on Fight News, the ringside reporters said ?Being out-dueled by the African, in the seventh and eighth, it was starting to get ugly for Lopez, and the crowd began to boo the effort from the Mexican. Towards the end of the eighth, Ndlovu clocked Lopez with a beautiful left hook, right on the button. It was a knockdown but ref Cole waved it off, much to the chagrin of Ndlovu and his corner. Gert Strydom, trainer for Ndlovu, stood up and shouted at the ref for such a blatant mistake.?
They reported that ? Another head butt by Lopez swelled the left eye of the African. In the ninth, Lopez was leading with his right and it clearly affected the former champ. By the championship rounds, it was very even.
Ndlovu?s eye began to swell even more, but good corner work between the eleventh and twelfth kept the eye from closing. Sharp leads by the African and just sheer volume of punches kept Lopez at bay.
In a stinging indictment, the reports alleged that ?the judges seemed to fill out their cards before the fight ended. Nearly everyone on press row had Takalani Ndlovu winning the fight by one or two rounds. When the decision was announced the crowd booed, unusual for the border town, considering the pro-Mexican crowd. But El Pasoans know their boxing ? they threw paper cups and cans of soda at the Mexican who was declared the winner with scores of 116-111 twice and 117-110.?
Fightnews reporters thought Ndlovu was robbed, scoring it 115-112.
Srydom, trainer for Ndlovu said, ?I am filling a formal protest with the IBF to demand a rematch in South Africa. We won the match but lost the fight.?
Bill Knight of the El Paso Times said ?t was the most awkward of fights. There were enough falls to fill a Three Stooges re-run, there was enough holding to qualify for a rough-and-tumble version of "Dancing With the Stars" and there were enough head butts and low blows to satisfy a WWE crowd.?
Photo: Milendovic (L) with Ndlovu.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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