Another Example Showing Why Boxing Still Sucks [VIDEO]

It was a weird Saturday night in early July: Derek Jeter had just reached 3,000 career hits that afternoon, the Mets didn't start playing until 9pm because they were at San Francisco and I didn't feel like watching the end of the NASCAR race in Kentucky. So I decided to give boxing a chance, and once again, I walked away disappointed.

The main event for HBO Boxing After Dark was a contest in the Light Middleweight division between Paul "The Punisher" Williams and "The Cuban Bull" Erislandy Lara. Williams entered with a 39-2 record, but was coming off a 2nd-Round knockout from Sergio Martinez last November.

The undefeated Lara used the Martinez fight as a blueprint for how to approach Williams, and despite throwing a lot fewer punches, "The Cuban Bull" was the one dishing out the bulk of the "punishment" to Williams. The fight went the distance, so after 12 rounds, it was time to find out who the judges decided was the winner. Make note of the scorecard that is shown at the beginning of this video provided by HBO analyst Harold Lederman, who had Lara winning the fight 117-111.

I watched this fight from bell-to-bell, just like the HBO crew and the crowd in Atlantic City. The majority decision that the judges ruled in favor of Williams was a complete and utter disgrace. Despite throwing only half as many punches as Williams, it was Lara who had a ridiculous landing percentage of 42% (Williams only landed 19%). Lara also landed more than twice of his power shots than Williams, 49 percent to 21 percent.

I was glad HBO let their analysts speak their minds, because I think Roy Jones Jr. said it best when he told play-by-play commentator Bob Papa that "Williams didn't win the decision" and that "this is what's wrong with boxing today." What impressed me just as much was the way Max Kellerman handled his post-fight interviews with both fighters. First, he spoke with the "winner" of the fight, Paul Williams.

Did anybody notice how Kellerman never once called Williams "the winner," but rather applauded for "another courageous performance"? Also, the look on Kellerman's face at the end of the interview was priceless! Now here's the interview he did with "the loser," Erislandy Lara.

Lara had every reason to be mad, and I think everyone in that building agreed that he won the fight. So where does Paul Williams go from here? I hope it's one of two options: give Lara a proper rematch, or retire with what little pride he still has.

Hey Sheldon Silver, let this serve as a perfect example for why you need to legalize MMA immediately. Professional boxing has turned into a joke, and there's no sign of any changes coming in the near future. Let's consider this my official start to the 2012 Legalize MMA Campaign in New York State.