Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares had a competitive fight tonight on Showtime from Las Vegas. There was plenty of action. The fight could have been remembered well. It won't be.
That's because Russell Mora, the assigned referee for the fight, was either blatantly biased or wildly incompetent tonight, never penalizing the victorious Abner Mares for a multitude -- we're talking double digits -- of low blows, including a bogus, terrible knockdown call on a blatant low blow in the 11th round. Mares on on scores of 115-111, 115-111, and 113-113. Bad Left Hook stopped scoring the fight upon the absurd knockdown call in the 11th round.
After the fight, Mora was interviewed by Showtime's Jim Gray, who absolutely blasted Mora, and with good cause. It was without question the greatest thing I've ever seen from Jim Gray, because Mora was a disgrace tonight.
Frankly, I don't know how else to talk about this fight. It had action. It could have been good. But Agbeko fought a referee more than his opponent tonight, and Russell Mora's reaction to watching replays was suspect at best. You can share your thoughts. I've got nothing else. This was a joke.
To note, Agbeko's team will file a formal protest with the IBF on Monday.