Hearn will launch Appeal with WBO over Abraham/Smith fight

Eddie Hearn has confirmed he will be appealing to the WBO over the Abraham/Smith encounter on Saturday night. Hearn made it clear he will not be appealing the result, but he will lobby to have Paul Smith instated as Abrahams mandatary, effectively forcing a rematch.

Hearn branded the cards from Saturday night (117-111,117-111,119-109) as disgusting and an insult to boxing. He also stated a rematch makes sense for both parties and would be a much bigger fight than the first. Hearn said he was confident 30,000-40,000 Brits would come over for a second installment.

Joe Gallagher, Smiths trainer has also called for a rematch but stated it should happen in Liverpool.

He's appealling is he.............After Ricky Burns v Beltran he's got a nerve..

A little amusing for sure. He knew the deal when he got to Germany. I assume he though Smith had a snowballs chance of a win, and now sees the potential for a seven figure night in Britain... A clear robbery was the best possible eventuality for him. Every now and then, I see the Prime Evilness which Strongy sees.

How terrible of a promoter to look our for the interests of his own fighter, how evil and disgraceful.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:How terrible of a promoter to look our for the interests of his own fighter, how evil and disgraceful.

We just don't like hypocrites...

After Beltran was robbed. The WBO refused to mandate a rematch or have Beltran made mandatory. 

Smith didn't do what Beltran did. Smith at best achieved a draw. 

Only time WBO has mandated a rematch was when Bradley robbed PacMan. PacMan didn't take the option though.

I understand some willslate Hearn for this and cite the Burns/Baltran debarcle but at the end of the day hes just doing what you would in his position i dont think he will get anywhere with the appeal though had it been the IBF id have given it more ofachance as hearnseems to have more clout with them. Its at times like these i bet Smith wishes Warren was still his promoter with his connections to the WBO

He'll get the rematch, I think. It doesn't have the potential of a Paccy fight, but I think a rematch is the money option for every single person involved. WBO included

kingraf wrote:He'll get the rematch, I think. It doesn't have the potential of a Paccy fight, but I think a rematch is the money option for every single person involved. WBO included

For Sauerland, Abraham vs Groves would make most money.

Bet he doesn't get a rematch..........

Can complain about the scoring but not the result....

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Bet he doesn't get a rematch..........

Can complain about the scoring but not the result....

I agree. While the scoring was a disgrace another fight would just be an Abraham victory with better judging

Your Welsh golfer won the ryder cup Steffy...

Maybe there is hope for Wales.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Your Welsh golfer won the ryder cup Steffy...

Maybe there is hope for Wales.

Yeah and he is even from the same town as me

Got to love Hearn, but don't think anything will happen here. Sauerlands will keep the WBO in house. Maybe give Kessler a shot and gaining a bargaining chip for a possible Zfroch v Kessler III

Good on Hearn, I can't say it helping him get a rematch (It definately won't be in Liverpool either way,) but if it highlights the abysmal scoring then maybe it will start a change (I'm wishing I know)

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:He's appealling is he.............After Ricky Burns v Beltran he's got a nerve..

Two wrongs make a right of course

Gerry SA wrote:

kingraf wrote:He'll get the rematch, I think. It doesn't have the potential of a Paccy fight, but I think a rematch is the money option for every single person involved. WBO included

For Sauerland, Abraham vs Groves would make most money.

Except I think GG has already said that's not the path he wants to follow.

Silly, really, as he'd get good money and an easy world title win.

I'm sure Groves might have revised that opinion after seeing how faded Abraham looked the other night, Toppy! As Groves keeps telling everyone who'll listen, he's looking for the fastest possible route to a world title, rather than the easiest one. But a fight against Abraham would give him the best of both worlds in that sense - both under the same promotional banner so in theory a relatively straightforward fight to make, and on top of that Abraham is looking very much the weakest of all the Super-Middleweight belt holders these days.

Appreciate that he's Dirrell's mandatory for the WBC, but the American has the right to a voluntary before taking that fight and there's already been some back and forth between him and Groves about who is going have to travel, whether or not he deserves the fight etc. Groves doesn't want to be waiting around in his own words, so if there's a chance he can get a shot at Abraham in the meantime I think he'll be nudging away at Sauerland to make it happen. Might lose him his mandatory status with the WBC, but if he's got a different title I doubt he'll be too upset about that and besides, the carrott of it being a WBO-WBC unification bout might well be enough to make Dirrell take him on at a later date anyway.

We are going to get to the stage where If there isn't a KO...Whichever Promoter wins purse bids...His fighter wins the title....

This was Paul's last chance really. He was lucky to get a shot anyway. Paul might have to (shock horror) fight his was into contention this time!

Will groves want to fight AA after the dodgy scorecards this weekend

Why not?

It's promotional, not racial.

AA is Armenian, the joke cards were due to Sauerland's promotion not racial bias. Under the same promo banner there's no reason GG should worry, especialliy as I'd back him to get the ko.

Full agree Toppy, after seeing AA's performance and given that he's quite clearly on the slide and nearing the end of his career, I would actually expect GG to be more likely to get the rub of the green with the judges if they fought (not that I think he'd need it - I think GG would cruise to a wide UD). What would Sauerland rather have, an ageing, past his best champion who has a very limited number of options in terms of winnable fights, or a young champion with a good fanbase in the UK who has a long career ahead of him?

I know it's not directly relatable here, but was anybody else screaming at the TV for Smith to try ducking/moving his head on Saturday?! It seemed to me that his only directions were forwards and backwards. If he just dipped his knees and moved laterally when he went to the ropes then AA's connect % would have halved ! He'd have still got the decision just for throwing and hitting air, but Paul would at least have saved himself a bit of a headache !

TopHat24/7 wrote:Why not?

It's promotional, not racial.

AA is Armenian, the joke cards were due to Sauerland's promotion not racial bias.  Under the same promo banner there's no reason GG should worry, especialliy as I'd back him to get the ko.

Who has Groves KO'd which leads you to believe he'd KO King Arthur? (who's never been stopped and probably never been put down!)

Any self respecting promoter will get the cheque book out If he has a chance of securing AA..

He's gone...

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Any self respecting promoter will get the cheque book out If he has a chance of securing AA..

He's gone...

It wont be Hearn, he cacked himself when Super Joe suggested it.

That was pretty funny

Which rounds was Smith supposed to have won? I've watched the last three (but pretty boring and can't be chewed to watch the whole lot).

Not sure what Hearns arguement would be.....'He didnt loose by that much?!'

wasp wrote:

TopHat24/7 wrote:Why not?

It's promotional, not racial.

AA is Armenian, the joke cards were due to Sauerland's promotion not racial bias.  Under the same promo banner there's no reason GG should worry, especialliy as I'd back him to get the ko.

Who has Groves KO'd which leads you to believe he'd KO King Arthur? (who's never been stopped and probably never been put down!)

1. Well Froch has the best chin in the division, if not the world, and he dropped him heavily. Has stopped everyone else he's fought pretty much, bar JdG and Rebrasse (incredibly durable).
2. 'Kayo' isn't the only way a fight can be stopped.
3. 'Probably'? At least have the decency to pop onto Boxrec before you start getting all over over-excited and post haphazardly (has been dropped, FYI).

I personally think Hearn is right to ask for an appeal. Just because his fighters have been the beneficiary of hometown scores in the past should not change that. The victims in that instance could have and should have done the same. If boxing is ever to get its house in order people need to kick up a fuss when this sort of stuff happens. I personally had the fight close, so have no real issues with the result. However a score of 119-109 is ridiculous. Boxing News did a poll of the media and of something like 50 odd sources polled nobody had it either way by more than a couple of rounds, yet one judge scores it by ten. There are only two sensible conclusions to draw from that, either that judge is professionally incompetent or he is corrupt. If either is true he should be kicked out of the sport, the means by which that happens or any perceived hypocrisy in the raising of the issue or in who raises it matters little.

As fans we have all become pretty much insulated against stuff like this, we see it and we shrug our shoulders and make comments like “what do you expect in Germany”. Understandable enough reactions and nothing that will stop us tuning into the fights the next weekend, but this was a well promoted fight on Sky on Saturday night, if this was one of the first fights you had ever watched, would you bother watching again? Am not going to be overly dramatic, the sport will undoubtedly survive a bad decision, but this crap still hurts the sport and does need investigating and eliminating.

The WBO have confirmed they will be reviewing the fight in the wake of Hearns appeal. Hearn is anxious to secure a rematch and is lobbying for Smith to be installed as Abrahams mandatory. Paul Smith has also also revealed Abraham promised him a rematch.

However it is believed that Abraham and Sauerland are keen to face the winner of the upcoming Sturm v Stieglitz fight. Abraham has fought Stieglitz three times already in very lucrative matches.

I thought Abraham won, but obviously the scores were awful.

Groves wont get a shot at Abraham yet. Abraham sells lots of tickets in Germany still and George doesn't. what good does it do for Sauerland to swap the titles over there??

If they can get Groves a title shot against Dirrell in England and give Abraham a couple more paydays in rematches and grudge matches, then they stand to earn a lot more. Expect George knows this, and this is why hes stated hes goin down a different path.