Top Ten Biggest Losers and Worst Decision Robbery in Boxing for January 2018

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Winning is not always the means to an end, if an improperly promoted career remains stalled. Losing is not always fair if the decision which results is highly questionable, especially split decisions in world title matches and split decisions favoring the promoter. Unbeaten records, and years of hard work, can go up in smoke with a single demoralizing loss, in a world which loves winners.

Promoter Dmitriy Salita’s fighter, Jesse Angel Hernandez, and promoter Eddie Jaafar’s fighter, Ernesto Garza III, both landed exactly 286 punches in their 10 round televised Showtime SHOBOX The New Generation super bantamweight bout on January 12, 2018, televised from Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York. However, Garza scored a second-round knockdown for a 10-8 round. In theory, the lone knockdown should have been the key factor which turned the scorecards in Garza’s favor. Hernandez finished the bout with a swollen face. In the end, though, Garza, promoter Eddie Jaafar’s fighter, lost a 10 round split decision. One judge had it seven rounds to three for Hernandez even with Garza’s knockdown, which screams robbery. While, Garza did not appear to win the tenth and final round, he did appear to do enough to win the bout. Garza, 9-3 with five knockouts, Saginaw, Michigan, has the tools and the talent. Short of being signed by Al Haymon or Floyd Mayweather Jr or Bob Arum, Garza is one of those fighters who will get opportunities, but just never get the decision.

Like the Charlo brothers, the Peterson brothers are names which have been around the boxing scene for over a decade, yet denied their due. Lamont, 35-4-1 with 17 knockouts, Washington, D.C., has been a top ten junior welterweight and welterweight for over a decade. Five times, though, Lamont has failed to win the big one when it counted, the latest being his knockdown and stoppage at the hands of Errol Spence Jr. Younger brother Anthony, 38-1 with 24 knockouts, Memphis Tennessee, has been a world class lightweight and super lightweight for over a decade, but has toiled on in obscurity since losing a WBA Lightweight eliminator by disqualification to Brandon Rios in 2010. Anthony won every round of his 10 round bout at Barclays Center last weekend fighting on the undercard of his brother’s bout with Spence, yet remains without a world title bout opportunity.

Top ten Dominican lightweight 33-2-1, 23 knockouts, Braintree, Massachusetts, showed up a pound and a half overweight for his International Boxing Federation Lightweight title bout with Robert Easter Jr., and lost a point for holding and hitting in round two and costing himself a draw, allowing Easter to retain his title by 12 round split decision.

A Georgian cruiserweight and heavyweight with a record of 26-2 with 18 knockouts,  Kiladze’s career has fallen short, losing world-class bouts at both cruiserweight and heavyweight. Kiladze’s sixth-round stoppage loss at Barclays Center last week to top ten heavyweight Adam Kownacki ended any future chance at a title bout opportunity.

Former world super middleweight and light heavyweight contender Green, 33-5 with 22 knockouts, Tulsa, Oklahoma, who did not win a round in his WBA Super Middleweight title bout with Andre Ward, won a comeback by six-round decision at cruiserweight in Oklahoma City after almost five years inactivity. At age 38, his odds of ever winning a world title are now remote, his potential unfulfilled.

Philadelphia cruiserweight and heavyweight Garrett Wilson, 18-14-1 with nine knockouts, has lost five of his last seven bouts, including four decision losses, in the past 18 months. Wilson continues to get cashed out as a journeyman, losing to Apti Davtaev by six round decision at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, last week.

Detroit Kronk Gym super lightweight Jackson, 17-4-2 with 13 knockouts, has had a disappointing decade since being signed by Don King. A 10 round decision loss to Manuel Perez at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, ends his latest comeback attempt. Jackson has won only two of his last seven bouts since 2009.

19-0 Thailand bantamweight contender got ruined this past weekend and lost his World Boxing Council Asian Boxing Council title to 16-37-8 Filipino southpaw Edison Berwela, a fighter with a losing record. Berwela knocked down Matsali in the third round, and knocked him out in the sixth round, a spectacular upset which is the only way a foreign fighter can win in Thailand.

17-2 Congolian Canadian super middleweight Ntetu, robbed in an improper stoppage against David Benavidez at Barclays Center in 2016, got stopped this past weekend by top ten light heavyweight contender Marcus Browne in the first round at Barclays Center, probably ending Ntetu’s career. He should never have returned to Barclays Center. The combined professional records of Benavidez and Browne are currently 40-0.

Despite winning a comeback last weekend by second round stoppage at age 42, Australia’s perpetual super welterweight, middleweight and super middleweight contender Anthony Mundine has won only four of his last eight bouts. The WBO regional belt Mundine just won is not going to be worth that much, considering Mundine lost a 10 round majority decision for the Australian Cruiserweight title to Danny Green eleven months earlier.