Controversy Erupts Over Robson Conceicao’s WBC Title Victory (BBC Boxing, November 13, 2022)
In a highly contested WBC junior lightweight title fight, Robson Conceicao of Brazil emerged victorious over O’Shaquie Foster via split decision on Saturday night in New Jersey. The bout has sparked widespread outrage, with many experts and fans disputing the judges’ scoring.
Promoter Bob Arum, however, defended the decision, stating that the fight was “a close one that could have gone either way.” Arum criticized ESPN’s broadcast team for relying too heavily on CompuBox punch stats, which he deemed inaccurate as the CompuBox personnel were not present at the venue.
“The judges are there. Basing it on punch stats is ridiculous,” Arum asserted. He argued that Conceicao was the more active fighter, landing 701 punches compared to Foster’s 435, as per the CompuBox data.
ESPN’s analysts, including Joe Tessitore, Timothy Bradley Jr., and Mark Kriegel, saw the fight as a near-shutout in favor of Foster. Kriegel, who was scoring the bout from ringside, had it 11 rounds to 1 for the American challenger.
However, Arum defended the judges’ scorecards, with one judge scoring it 116-112 for Foster and the other two scoring it 116-112 and 115-113 for Conceicao, who was making his fourth attempt at winning a title.
Foster was visibly distraught, claiming, “I thought it was a shutout. I want the rematch. They stole the fight from me.” BoxingScene’s Kieran Mulvaney also expressed disbelief at the judges’ decision, calling it “utterly and totally incomprehensible.”
CompuBox creator Bob Canobbio acknowledged that his organization’s staff worked remotely for the event, but he defended the accuracy of their punch-tracking system. Canobbio stated that the numbers showed Conceicao as the busier fighter, despite landing a lower percentage of his punches compared to Foster.
Arum remained adamant that the fight was close and that the announcing team’s criticism was unwarranted. As for a potential rematch between Conceicao and Foster, Arum said, “We’ll see.”
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