Boxing Breakfast: Steve Smoger Explains Roy Jones Jr vs Lebedev Knockout
by Scott Christ on May 23, 2011 5:00 AM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Well, I won't lie. Sunday night is a night I tend to get drunk. Look, I'm no professional journalist. I don't pretend I am. Sometimes I'm drunk. Sometimes I'm hungry. Today it's drunk. Let's do this.
Steve Smoger (Tries To) Explain Jones Knockout
Referee Steve Smoger came under fire for letting Roy Jones Jr get cracked with a final devastating right hook from Denis Lebedev that left him face-down on the canvas in a scary scene in Moscow on Saturday. I respect Smoger as an official. For years he had the rep of letting fights go on too long, and then he kind of overcame it, and became the ref who let fighters fight. This fight kind of flipped the script back a little. But here's Smoger's explanation:
"I didn't stop the fight because there were only a matter of seconds remaining in the fight and it seemed that Roy was pretending, trying to trick his opponent," said Smoger. "He did this repeatedly in the fight. So I thought Jones was doing the same thing here, trying to deceive Lebedev in the final seconds of the fight in order to lure Denis in to land a big punch [which Jones managed to do in the previous round]."
I swear to God, I've seen people say that they "heard" that Jones was winning the fight and then got knocked out in the last 10 seconds. I assure you, Jones was not winning the fight. Smoger should have known better. Jones hasn't been able to take a clean punch in years. Lebedev had him unconscious standing up. Poor Roy got creamed with another right hook that wasn't necessary. That's on Smoger. I have all the respect in the world for Smoger, and he didn't make this idiotic fight, but he shouldn't have let Roy take that last shot.
Fight Chatter
- The David Tua vs Monte Barrett rematch that nobody cares about is being postponed.
- Enzo Maccarinelli wants to fight Nathan Cleverly. Alright then. Pass. But, you know, alright then.
After the jump: Drunk Song of the Day!
Song of the Day
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That’s definitely going to happen. Warren’s not enough of a philanthropist to save Enzo from himself. Nevertheless, if Enzo catches Clev, and if the old power’s still there… Too many ifs, Clev cleans up.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on May 23, 2011 8:39 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Enzo just needs to get the hell out of the game
He’s proved he can’t take a punch anymore at Cruiser….. He’l have to weight drain to get to LH, so he won’t be able to take a punch there either.
He’s had a good career. Won a world strap. But there’s nothing left for him
by Sweet science on May 23, 2011 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Roy Jones Jr. got KO'ed.
This is not news. It’s sad and unfortunate but it is not news.
I always thought that Jones was one of those smart fighters that would call it quits when his skills, ability to take a punch and deliver left him behind.
Memo to Roy Jones Jr:
You’re not Bernard Hopkins or Glen Johnson, two supremely old and talented rugged men in boxing.
I tend to be biased towards strikers . . . exciting strikers.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
Scott………you write better w/ a few drinks than I do sober.
Watching the replay of the KO (and we, unlike Smoger, get this benefit), Jones had his head down, BUT his hands were up. It wasn’t an easy call. …it happened so fast. Seriously, did ANYONE see that coming?
Bottom line…Roy is ok, and needs to stop getting punched in the head for a living.
We all saw it coming before the first round. It just took 9 rounds before it happened.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on May 23, 2011 9:01 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I tend to agree that it’s all too easy to jump on referees for either stopping it too soon or, more seriously, letting it go on too long.
Sometimes the criticism is justified and that could be the case here, but i also think that in the heat of the moment, in that situation, and when the round,and fight, was so close to being over it really is a tough call.
But i also take on board that Smoger knew about Jones’ diminished punch resistance and the fact that he is washed up.
It looked bad (and was) because we all love Roy and didn’t like seeing that but i don’t think people should be too hard on Smoger.
I’m pretty sure Roy, like most proud fighters would have complained if Smoger had of stopped it before the KO punch.
As i said, it’s dangerous though and better to stop it a bit too soon that too late.
After watching it again, I have to say that the camera angle gave us a better view of him clearly being out. From Smoger’s angle, I can see that it looked like Roy was crouching with his hands up.
Still I don’t like the argument of there only being a few second left. It only takes a few seconds to get hit a couple of more times, and if you’re already out, or close to it, then it can be the difference between a severe injury and no injury.
Still I don’t like the argument of there only being a few second left. It only takes a few seconds to get hit a couple of more times, and if you’re already out, or close to it, then it can be the difference between a severe injury and no injury
Very true, but when you combine a few seconds left with Smoger having to make a decision from his vantage point, there’s not much leeway.
I agree with most that he should have been in there, but it wasn’t like he was totally incompetetn or anything. It ’s a pretty fine line sometimes.
Bottom line, imo, this fight should never have happened in the first place and no one made Roy take it.
by Matt Mosley on May 23, 2011 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Assuming Smoger’s angle had him seeing only upraised hands, I can see how he’d have been at a disadvantage for doing the right thing. Generally speaking, however, I couldn’t agree with you more here:
Still I don’t like the argument of there only being a few second left. It only takes a few seconds to get hit a couple of more times, and if you’re already out, or close to it, then it can be the difference between a severe injury and no injury.
Whatever else about him, I always admired Ortega for pulling Jermain Taylor (vs. Froch) out at 2:46 of rnd.12, even tho the crowd booed and it lost him his title. We know now from subsequent fights what was really left of him, and it could have been much worse.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
Fighter's
will sometimes turn on those who are looking out for their best interests, like referees and people in their camp who try to tell them they don’t have it anymore and need to retire.
They are mostly very proud people and, especially if they were at one time the elite of their era, don’t like gviing it up or being rescued from further punishment.
The fighter is always the last to see it and sometimes it takes a brave person, a true friend, to tell them what they don’t want to hear.
I don’t buy SS’s explanation for one second. He was out of position and was too late. Not that it mattered because Roy was already a rag doll.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
Agreed with both you and jrok below.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on May 23, 2011 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not going to bring up a certain 90’s fight and a certain so-called "blown" call. I’m not. I won’t drag this thread down into Hell with that.
But – generally speaking – I think even some avid fight fans forget who quickly something could turn tragic. Sometimes, it really does only take one punch on a man who can’t defend himself. That one punch can lead to very bad brain damage down the line, partial-paralysis, and sometimes even instant death. It doesn’t matter how many seconds are left in the fight. What matters is, does this guy look like he should take another punch.
Smoger blew it, big time. Like Boss Man says, he was out of position while Lebedev was working Roy on the ropes, and he stood there dawdling while Roy was was concussed and bent over. Lebedev even looked at Smoger to try to get him to stop it, right before he gave him that last shot.
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