Instant replay remedies ref's flub in Bradley-Cambell bout

August 2, 1:07 PMNY Boxing ExaminerMichael Marley

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Bradley vs. Campbell - August 1 - Agua Caliente Casino.

I hate to wake anyone up. I hate to disturb a nice siesta.

But when are the Big Four (WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF) going to make instant replay a mandatory part of all their duly sanctioned world title bouts?

Latest example of the crying need for instant replay in boxing was Saturday night’s bad judgment call by referee David Mendoza in California.

Mendoza simply blew it in deciding that it was solely a clean punch by WBO 140 pound champion Tim Bradley that produced a nasty cut over Nate Campbell’s left eye.

The Showtime announcers got it right and their own replays proved it. The sequence which led to the abrupt end to the title fight was obvious head ramming by Bradley, a punch by Bradley, and then Campbell wiping the bleeding gash with a glove.

I’m not saying Soupy wasn’t looking to parachute safely out of what looked like a real beat down by Bradley. He was and he exaggerated his vision problem to the ringside doctor which prompted the doctor to properly wave the fight over.

Even when Showtime had him look at a replay, Mendoza would not own up to his human error.

That’s when the WBO supervisor and whoever may be running the California commission could have taken the situation under advisement and reviewed the tape themselves.

The only thing the replay does not show is whether the head butt was intentional but Mendoza regarded it as accidental.

That’s not important here because no one claims Bradley should have been disqualified.

Using instant replay, the WBO and the state commission could have properly concluded that this was a no contest with the cut being caused primarily by the head butt.

The punch that followed was a glancing blow, nothing that rocked Campbell.

Even Stevie Wonder could see the head ramming by Bradley.

Even Stevie Wonder could see that boxing needs instant replay for world championship level fights immediately.

The slow way that the wheels of progress move in boxing, I fully expect such instant replay to be used in a world title matches in no later than 12 to 20 years from now.