| |
|
|
Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions Slams New Zealand Boxing
Commission About Controversial Joseph Parker vs. Alexander
Flores Fight
Roy Jones, Jr. Boxing CEO-Co-Founder Keith Veltre has
slammed the Professional Boxing Commission New Zealand (PBCNZ)
regarding the controversial Joseph Parker vs. Alexander “The
Great” Flores heavyweight fight, held earlier this month,
due to numerous obvious low blows, resulting in Flores being
knocked out in the third round.
“As excited as we were for Flores to face-off against
Parker,” Veltre said, “we are equally disappointed with
Parker’s dirty antics. It was clear that the referee not
only favored Parker, but he also lacked enough knowledge to
be officiating in the ring. Cleary, though, the New Zealand
commission is just as inexperienced with high-caliber fights
like this. If it wants to continue pursuing larger fights,
then I would suggest it makes sure there is an equal playing
field in New Zealand for all foreign fighters.”
Upset-minded Flores (17-2-1, 15 KOs), fighting out of
Rowland Heights, California, traveled to Parker’s home
country to challenge the former World Boxing Organization
(WBO) heavyweight world champion, in front of three Kiwi
judges and a New Zealand referee, John Conway.
“Coming into this fight,” Flores said, “I was excited and
prepared for the opportunity to fight Joseph Parker. My
vision of how it would play out was nothing that I could
have ever expected. I heard Joe speaking in pre-fight
interviews about hitting me in the balls or using his
elbows, but I really thought he was talking about his
experience with Dillian Whyte, and I never expected him to
use those tactics with me. I have never been a dirty
fighter, so, in my training for this fight, getting hit in
the groin area or getting his forearm in my face was not
something that ever crossed my mind.
“After reading articles it is clear to me that this was
premeditated. When the fight started, the referee clearly
stated that we were at belt-line and anything below that
would be considered low. I noticed early on that he was
hitting me low and I tried to get the referee’s attention. I
don’t remember the exact number, but it was consistent
whenever we would get inside and exchange.”
In the third round, Parker (25-2, 19 KOs) unloaded a
right-left combination, both clearly landing below the belt,
lowering Flores’ hands and leaving him virtually defenseless
for a crushing right that floored him. Flores beat the
count, but he never recovered from the illegal blows, ending
in a knockout moments later.
“I have never been hit in the groin like that and there was
an evident welt in that area. After the referee warned him
in the corner, it was already after I had been the
beneficiary of several low blows. It can be a serious
problem when you’re hit in that area because, mentally, you
feel like you need to protect a larger area. After that
warning, he went straight to the well and hit me hard to the
groin. I dropped my hand to cover my groin area and he hit
me hard, knocking me down with a shot that I never recovered
from. Even after the blatant low blow that knocked me down,
I was shocked that the ref did not see it. This should have
amounted to a disqualification, or point deduction, and time
for me to recover. “
Conway warned Parker at last three times prior to the
critical low-blow combination that led to the end of the
fight moments later. Conway told Parker to keep his punches
higher early in the second round, halted the action near the
end of the second when a Parker left was terribly low, again
during the first minute of the third, and then again after
the two low blows that led to the first knockdown.
At the very least, Conway should have halted the action
after the first knockdown to give Flores, by rule, up to
five-minutes to recover, in addition to penalizing Parker
one point. If Flores couldn’t continue the fight, it should
have been ruled a “no contest”. Conway told Stuff that
Parker would have lost a point had there been a third time,
but the fourth and fifth south-of-the-border punches were
the one-two leading to the first knockdown.
The only statement more irrelevant than Parker calling the
low blows “unintentional”, as if legal punches, was his
trainer, Kevin Barry, declaring after the fight that, “He
didn’t get knocked out by a body blow.” No, Flores was
merely left defenseless and dangerously susceptible to the
damaging punch that floored him, from which he never really
recovered, that resulted in the knockout.
“I heard that some people were saying that the low blows
were irrelevant, because that was not the shot that finished
the fight, but that’s from people who’ve never been knocked
down and tried to recover from a knockdown. I never
recovered from the low-blow knockdown. Joe quickly jumped on
me with the shots needed to finish the fight.
“Looking back, I could have never imagined that he would
resort to these tactics to win the fight, and I believe this
left a black mark on the sport of boxing. I was knocked out
to end the fight in a way that could have resulted in
serious injury due to clear referee negligence.”
Even the New Zealand media understood Parker won by fighting
dirty:
New Zealand Herald: “Parker last night knocked out Flores in
the third round at Christchurch’s Horncastle arena but it
came after at least two blows against his Mexican-American
opponent, who complained bitterly about the “dirty” tacti
afterwards.
“Parker’s second low blows caused Flores to drop his hands
and the south Aucklander connected with a right hand which
flattened his opponent. Flores beat the count but was set
upon straight away by Parker who scented blood…..”
Stuff: “Parker, the former WBO world heavyweight champion of
the world, knocked Flores down in the third round with a
right hand to the head that was set up on the back of two
unquestionably low shots.”
News.com/au: “He (Parker) promised to bring an edge, a
little mongrel if you like, and Joseph Parker certainly did
that when knocking out Alexander Flores in the third round……
“There will inevitably be some controversy attached to their
stoppage by Parker because it came soon after a low blow,
the second of the short fight, and Flores had dropped his
hands when Parker’s right hand knocked him to the canvas.
“…Apart from the two low blows, Parker occasionally held and
hit Flores, which is illegal, as well as going in with
elbows raised.”
“I heard Joseph admitted to the low blows and that should be
enough to change this fight to a ‘no contest’,” Flores
concluded. “His excuse that, ‘That’s up to the ref to see
low blows and his job to fight’ is like saying it’s up to
police to stop you from stealing. I have the support of a
lot of wonderful people in New Zealand and I was met by
people at the airport who apologized for how I was
mistreated. The biggest problem with boxing is we need to
develop a zero-tolerance policy regarding issues of this
nature. It would be a good start by the New Zealand boxing
commission to set a precedence by saying it us not going to
tolerate cheating or deception.
“When I pressed Joe at the end of the fight, I said to him,
‘What’s up? You know you were hitting me low.’ He just
mumbled and didn’t have an answer, but he did say he’d give
me a rematch. No amount of money would ever make me a dirty
fighter. Joe needs to look deeply and reflect about the
importance of good character because, at the end of the day,
that’s what matters the most.”
The 28-year-old Flores’ goal remains to become the first
Mexican-American heavyweight champion of the world.
|
|
|
