Koki Kameda vs. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for the lineal flyweight title - No Asian Judges?
I just read somewhere that this fight, between Koki Kameda and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam is going to be for the WBC flyweight title, the lineal flyweight title (Ring Magazine has Kameda and Wonjongkam rated numbers 1 and 2, respectively, and the winner wins their belt and reigns undisputed) and there's not going to be any Asian judges at this fight.
What are your thoughts on the lack of Asian judges for this fight?
Personally, I like to think most judges would be fair in scoring a fight, regardless of where they come from, but that's just me.
Craig2010-03-25T06:36:00Z
Favorite Answer
They could be Asian as long as they are not Japanese or Thai. Asian people are very diverse since there are billions of them that consist of hundreds of many nationalities, culture, race, and religion.
In Asia, when the bouts are held, it is almost consistent that the judges are not from the county of the fighters fighting. For example, when Chris John beat Marquez, all the judges were not from Indonesia. This is a championship match and there is a lot of animosity and bad blood between Japan and Thailand rivalry. Kameda beat Naito, the same boxer who beat Wonjongkam. Wonjongkam is considered to be one of the best Asian boxers today and one of the best boxers since 2000 p4p (top 20-30). He may be passed his prime but Wonjongkam is still a threat and I think he can beat the current number ranked Kameda, and win his WBC flyweight title.
Yup I agree with you, judges should be fair no matter where they come from. I remember the Vic Darchinyan vs Z Gorres fight that ended in a split draw. This fight was held in the Philippines and Z Gorres was the Filipino. Most people thought Darchinyan won, but it was only the Filipino judge among the 3 judges who gave the fight to Darchinyan. The Australian and Thai jugdes scored it a draw and a win for Gorres. But of course this does not always happen. Who will forget the hometown robbery of the Diaz-Malignaggi 1? And to some extent, the Froch-Dirrel fight?
Personally, I don't mind the judges being non-Asians in this flyweight bout. It would also be fine if the judges were Asians, but it would be best if none of the judges were either Japanese or Thai. Not everyone would be as unbiased as that Filipino judge in the Darchinyan-Gorres fight.