WBC TALKS, ROUND 5: Judge, Justice Provider- Spanish speaking panel

With great participation and after having received the Blessing “Urbi et Orbi” by Pope Francis from Saint Peter’s Square of the Vatican in a religious act of outreach to all believers towards the critical moments that we live worldwide, the fifth began episode of “WBC Talks” that this time addressed a topic extremely interesting: the work of the judge.

PANEL:

Mauricio Sulaimán – President of the World Boxing Council

José Manzur -Judge

Juan Carlos Pelayo -Judge

Omar Mintum -Judge

Victor Silva – Mediator

The President of the WBC, Mr. Mauricio Sulaimán started this WBC TALK, thanking all those who have made this possible, those who have followed the broadcasts and of course all the panelists who have gathered throughout the week to share your experiences and knowledge.

He explained that the task of a judge is of vital importance since they are the ones who administer and temper justice inside the ring. They must therefore must conduct themselves with absolute integrity and honor. A judge must have specific qualities and above, he/she must learn to focus  maximum concentration from the moment the bell rings.

A judge must have eyes on the fight during the three minutes of the round, must have no preference for any boxer or country and be absolutely impartial. At this point he assured that the World Boxing Council has honorable judges who would never compromise or betray the basic values ​​of the WBC.

He added that when the WBC appoints a panel of judges, the boxer can be sure that the victory will be for whoever did the best job up in the ring.

Mr. Jose Manzur explained that the greatest quality that a judge must have is impartiality and the ability to focus, since sometimes it is difficult to achieve this, since being in the arena many factors can affect concentration. He assured that when he receives an appointment for a fight The first thing he does is watch videos of the fighters to find out their styles. He commented that a good judging  is done through constancy, watching videos and studying, understanding that this thorough and dedicated work represents the future of a fighter.

For Omar Mintum Omar the work of a judge must be very precise, since they must record on the cards what is happening above in the ring and, like our other panelists, it is very important to arrive prepared for the fight that was assigned to them.

He assured that all the judges start their career in four-round fights and from there, according to their results, they climb until they reach the great fights, where one should never yield to public pressure.

The judge, as previously mentioned, must be impartial and only be attentive to what happens.

Juan Carlos Pelayo, was emphatic when saying that the impartiality with which he qualifies has to do with the judge’s experience, since one must identify the most effective fighter. it is his responsibility to judge him impartially and fairly. He added that  passion for boxing is essential for a judge, because that is the origin of the need to become the man who administers justice.

Among many of the topics that were addressed, was the fear that many judges have when giving a score of 10-8; However, the leader of the organization assured that one of the tasks of the WBC is to educate the judges that when a fighter has been visibly punished and has not given opposition, the round should  be given on 10-8.

Responding to the doubts of the fans, who should be noted were very active, the invited judges as well as the President  of the WBC, assured that the score of 10-10 exists, although it is not seen much, as there is usually always a winner of the round. However it can happen even though some commissions are prohibited from 10-10.

To conclude , our judges agreed after seeing some examples of how to qualify a fight, that to give a fighter the round, he must show effective aggressiveness and that a fight is not won in a single round (unless there is a knockout) but round after round.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish our best to Jose´s Manzur family as his daughter is dighting against COVID- 19. We are sure she will win this fight by KO !