Judging Reform Needs to Happen, And It Needs to Happen Now

All of the elements that come up following each controversial decision are covered in these courses. You learn about the scoring of rounds, how to weigh different elements and why Joe Rogan is often wrong when he says, “Fighter X can steal the round with a takedown right here.”

You’re taught that while Diego Sanchez came forward against Martin Kampmann, missing with wild, winging punches doesn’t have more impact that countering those shots with repeated jabs and crosses the face.

I took the COMMAND course to get a better understanding of the sport I cover from a judging perspective and to give me a stronger platform to stand on when pieces like this need to be written.

Additionally, it lets the fighters know that during those one or two local events each year where I’m called upon to judge, they have at least one person beside the cage who has gone through the testing process and came away with the backing of one of the sport’s most respected officials.

If I’m willing to take that step to ensure the fighters here in Victoria, British Columbia competing for a couple hundred bucks are given a fair shake in the cage, shouldn’t commissions across North America do the same?

There is no longer any reason to have untrained, uneducated officials presiding over the careers of these athletes. The sport has been around long enough that anyone charged with being an official should be held to a certain standard, and sadly, that isn’t the case right now.

We still have numerous boxing holdovers and a list of officials who elicit groans from fans whenever they hear their names announced. If fans and media are nervous about having Cecil Peoples or Glen Trowbridge judging a fight, imagine how the fighters have to feel?

A bad decision gives me something to write about and further validation that we need a change, but it doesn’t really have a negative impact on me. That same decision can produce a very different paycheck for a fighter, not to mention potentially changing their employment status. Sometimes it can be the difference between continuing on or calling it a career.

With that much at stake, shouldn’t we take every step possible to ensure that the people who hold the outcome of a fight in their hands know what they are doing?

Perhaps what is most frustrating of all is that an undertaking of this nature, rolling out a training program through the various commissions and governing bodies, wouldn’t be as daunting as people think.

If 28 people from across British Columbia can knock out a certification course in two days, most because they want to be better officials on the local level, the commissions and governing bodies should be able to follow suit.

There is no reason why officials should not be certified and required to pass some kind of testing to earn the positions they have today.

The time for making excuses and standing still has passed; its time to admit their are serious flaws in the system and work towards correcting them.

Anything less than that is an insult to the men and women who put it all on the line in the cage.