A Terrific Fight Marred: Gabriel Campillo Robbed in Corpus Christi

On Saturday, February 18, Tavoris Cloud retained his IBF junior heavyweight championship and kept his perfect 24(19)-0 record intact when he earned a split-decision victory over Gabriel Campillo, who fell to 21(8)-4(1)-1.

The fight, broadcast live on Showtime from Corpus Christi, Texas, was an exciting, action-packed war.

The decision, however, was a travesty.

I don't usually use the word "robbery" when writing about boxing decisions—even ones I disagree with. I thought Juan Manuel Marquez deserved the decision against Manny Pacquiao last November, but the rounds were close, and I can see the argument the other way. 

Even in a case like the Nonito Donaire-Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. fight earlier this month, where I just can't see how one judge possibly scored the fight for Vazquez, I still keep in mind that the judge was sitting ringside and watching the action at a certain angle. 

But I don't see any way possible that last night's fight could have been scored for anybody but Gabriel Campillo. Denny Nelson, the lone voice of sanity on the judges' panel, had the fight 115-111. That sounds just about right. 

Dave Robertson had it 116-110. During the broadcast, the Showtime team emphasized that Robertson was an "inexperienced" judge." They did not say whether or not he was blind.

Joel Elizando scored it a more modest, though still way out of line, 114-112, for Cloud.

The controversy is unfortunate because the fight was excellent. This early in the year, it looks like a solid contender for Fight of the Year. It featured an exciting first round in which Cloud showcased his explosive offensive abilities, dropping Campillo twice to take a commanding early three-point lead.

But the epic was just beginning to write itself. Campillo returned for the second round completely recovered, and he immediately established his jab and lateral movement. He used his reach to shut down the more athletic Cloud's attack and counter-punched aggressively, unloading multi-punch flurries that targeted Cloud's head and body.

And that essentially became the story of the fight. Campillo, a former WBA world champion in his own right, showcased deadly accurate punching, opening a cut over Cloud's eye in the fourth round.

Cloud fought gamely for all 12 rounds, pressing aggressively forward. I scored rounds for him throughout the fight. But after his dominating first round, he was a puzzle that Campillo had very much solved.

Cloud stated that he felt he deserved to win in the post-fight interview. I can't blame a world-class competitor for reacting this way after he has battled through a war that way. As a boxing writer, I am generally a Tavoris Cloud fan—even if I think he lost—and I'm sure he felt that he deserved to win.

If he's honest with himself, though, he's going to see reason to doubt that judgement when he watches the film. As a boxing observer, I can only hope he will realize that a rematch is the only reasonable thing for him to do next.