WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to having six judges ringside for the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, as well as other WBC title fights. This initiative, aimed at reducing controversial outcomes, was initially proposed for the first encounter between Usyk and Fury on May 18 but faced resistance from rival sanctioning bodies and event promoters, resulting in the traditional three-judge setup.
Sulaiman emphasized that the WBC will persist with this proposal, especially for their title fights:
"I will campaign for the WBC fights to [have six judges for] those who are eligible, and we are going to start doing it," Sulaiman told Casino Reviews.
The primary objective behind having six judges is to ensure a fair and accurate decision, particularly in closely contested fights like the one between Usyk and Fury. The initial fight was indeed tight, with Usyk narrowly winning via split decision. Sulaiman believes that the addition of more judges could help in providing a more definitive outcome.
Reflecting on the scorecards from the first fight, Sulaiman expressed satisfaction with the result, which he deemed fair:
"It was a very close fight. It came down to the 11th round and it was scored in favor of Oleksandr Usyk by two judges, while one judge scored it for Tyson Fury. If one judge had scored it differently, the outcome could have changed, but I believe a split decision win for Usyk is more than fair and acceptable."
Sulaiman reiterated the importance of avoiding controversy in scoring and maintaining the integrity of the sport. "Our position is to always have the best possibilities to avoid a controversy and that’s why we wanted six judges," he said.
Read more about their first encounter here.
Image Credit: DAZN