Vol. 4, No. 2, February 2007
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Sweet Scientist
New Jersey’s Larry Hazzard takes boxing into the future with instant replay
Larry Hazzard recalls the moment instant replay became viable for boxing.
Marlon Starling was making the first defense of his title in front of a large Boardwalk Hall throng in 1988. A couple seconds after the sixth-round bell, Starling was knocked out by an illegal blow thrown from Tomas Molinares. In the loud arena, the referee did not hear the bell sounding before the punch was thrown.
Replays indicated the missed call, but they were not fully reviewed until Starling filed a formal protest the following week. Hazzard, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board commissioner, ultimately reversed the verdict. But the world sanctioning bodies did not recognize the New Jersey ruling.
For Starling, justice delayed was indeed justice denied.
Now that will change. New Jersey brings instant replay to the world of boxing and mixed martial arts this year. If a promoter requests the procedure at least one day in advance, New Jersey enters the world of “upon further review.”
“All the pro sports are moving towards greater levels of correctness,” Hazzard says. “There is so much money at stake in boxing, but for the boxers there are so few opportunities. A mistake by a referee could be the end of his career. Look, if a baseball player makes $40 million and the umpire blows a call, he still has that contract. A fighter does not have that luxury.”
Critical items like knockdowns versus slips, whether a cut was opened by a punch or head butt and whether or not a fighter beat the count fall under a referee’s discretion.
Referees usually make accurate calls, but some verdicts only become clear through slow-motion replay. Head butts are especially important. If a boxer is cut from a punch and can’t continue, he loses. Yet if a head butt caused the cut, the fight is considered a no-contest if it is halted before the end of round 4. If a head butt forces a bout to be stopped later, the verdict goes to the fighter ahead on scorecards.
The head-butt call, or non-call, becomes significant.
Knockdowns become reviewable because they can be caused by feet becoming tangled during an exchange.
Instant replay was scheduled to debut in Atlantic City for a January 19 mixed martial arts show. Boxing will experience the innovation here in February or March. Hazzard eliminated two potential pitfalls when outlining the rules of use.
First was the fairness issue. The use of replay must be requested in advance by the promoter, who will provide it via ringside monitor at the commissioner’s table. Once in place, the replay is open to anyone, not merely that promoter. Any manager or chief second can request the replay at the end of the round in which something is in question. Hazzard will decide what’s reviewable and what circumstances, if any, lie behind the request. That covers potential issue number two, deliberate stalling.
“We are not putting up with any baloney,” Hazzard says. “If you think that by requesting a replay, you can get an extra minute or two to help your fighter because he’s out of gas, that’s not happening. Instant replay will be controlled by the commission. You won’t have some guy challenging calls all night long.
“I would not be surprised if people tested that initially, but once the word gets around that no nonsense will be tolerated, things will be fine. At the end of the day, we’re here to get the call right. As a former referee (Editor’s Note: and one of the finest), I’m the first to admit that referees make mistakes because we are human. Instant replay is here to help boxers.”
A replay request must be made during the round in question or immediately afterward. If Hazzard grants a review, he will observe a replay during the rest period. He will render a decision within three minutes. Unlike the NFL, a person is not limited to a certain number of incorrect challenges. But managers must avoid developing a reputation for frivolous requests or risk having future borderline reviews denied.
Some bugs, like how quickly a replay can be queued up, may occur occasionally. But they figure to be worked out. And while any delay can hurt a fight’s momentum, it will be weighed against the factor of an important decision.
New Jersey has launched numerous innovations and been fearless about scrapping what it did not like. Thumbless gloves stayed. So did ambulances at ringside and inspectors placed in corners between rounds to hear dialogue between fighters and trainers. Inspectors can determine whether a boxer is being encouraged to fight on when he wants to stop.
The commission halted some practices, like the emphasis on 10-8 rounds, 13th-round overtime and physicians having the power to stop fights.
This is another daring, and good move.
