Boxing in Las Vegas: Team Molina's official position on Travesty.htm

Team Molina's Official Position
on Travesty in Texas

"Texas Commission Has No Choice But to Reverse DQ and Rule a No Contest."

The representatives of junior middleweight Carlos Molina have the following official response to his improper disqualification Saturday night against James Kirkland in a WBC Light Middleweight Semi-Final Elimination fight at the Reliant Arena in Houston, Texas.

"Referee Jon Schorle was in error of Texas rules last night when he disqualified Carlos Molina and therefore the fight must be changed to a No Contest ruling," asserts Leon Margules, promoter of Chicago-based junior middleweight "King" Carlos Molina.

Schorle, with assistance from Texas Commission officials and others at ringside, disqualified Molina, saying that his cornerman entered the ring while the round was ongoing because he was still delivering his standing eight count for the questionable flash knockdown Molina suffered at the end of round 10.

If a cornerman enters the ring during a round, a disqualification is possible, however, Margules correctly points to Texas Commission Rule 61.41(K)(6), which states:

When a round ends before a contestant who was knocked down rises, the bell shall not ring, and the count shall continue. If the contestant rises before the count of ten, the bell shall ring ending the round.

"By issuing a standing eight count after the knockdown, Referee Schorle was in violation of his own commission's rule," explains Margules. "The moment Carlos Molina got to his feet, the round was over. In Texas, and as far as I know everywhere else in the United States, there is no standing eight count in the case of a knockdown at the end of a round. Once the fighter stands up, the round is over. Therefore, Carlos' cornerman was correct to enter the ring after his fighter stood up because the bell had already rung, and it was Referee Schorle who was incorrect to issue an eight count. The Texas Commission should have no choice but to change this to a No Contest. It was their referee who didn't know their own rules. There was no foul. Under Texas rules, the cornerman did not enter the ring until after the round ended."

Margules says it was an unfortunate conclusion to what could have been a cliff hanger over the final two rounds. "Even if there hadn't been a rule violation necessitating a No Contest... even if the disqualification had been technically justifiable, it was a tragic ending to a fight between two young fighters who trained extremely hard and fought extremely hard to get where they are. The fans will never know what would have happened in those last two rounds. We think Carlos would have gotten back up and continued dominating the fight, but I'm sure their side thinks James was starting to turn it on and would have completed the miracle comeback. Now none of us will ever know and that's a shame."

Schorle's mishandling of Texas rules wasn't the only impropriety Margules makes note of from Saturday night.

"Gale Van Hoy's scorecard is a pretty clear indication that he's not physically capable of judging fights anymore. Gale has served boxing honorably for many years, but his declining health has obviously robbed him of his ability to accurately judge a fight."

Unbelievably, Judge Van Hoy had Kirkland winning the fight 86-85 at the time of the DQ, while the vast majority of observers feel that Molina had established a dominant lead. Judges Dave Moretti (88-83) and David Sutherland (87-84) agreed, having Molina winning by five and three points respectively.

Margules says in addition to the inevitable No Contest ruling he will oversee, he will petition the WBC for an immediate rematch.

Luis DeCubas, Molina's advisor further stated, "I'm sure Golden Boy Promotions (Kirkland's promoter) will agree with me that an immediate rematch is warranted. I remember their great concern for the improper actions of ringsiders after Amir Khan lost to Lamont Peterson, so watching the tape and seeing the obvious influence on the situation exerted by their matchmaker Eric Gomez, who was standing behind the ringside officials shouting at them to disqualify Molina... they must be mortified by his actions and in search of an immediate rectification."

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