Kapuler Out of European Games

The International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) was deemed to be so corrupt by the International Olympic Committee that it was barred from running the boxing tournament at the Olympics. The European Games have proven to be no better. As a result of some bizarre scoring, junior middleweight Miroslav Kapuler is out of the tournament.

Kapuler faced a fellow southpaw, Vakhid Abbasov of Serbia. Kapuler usually boxes, but he was the aggressor against Abbasov. Miroslav landed a hard overhand left early in the contest that wobbled Abbasov. The 26 year old Israeli had Abbasov off balance several times during the opening round.

Only one of the five judges gave Miroslav the first round. It's important not to make unfounded allegations, but it sure seemed as if Abbasov then knew the fix was in, because he ran the next two rounds. As long as he stood upright, he knew he was going to win. In the second, Abbasov tried to pot-shot from the outside with his hands down. It was a slow round, but Kapuler got the better of the few exchanges.

Tactics and infractions are supposed to be part of the scoring criteria in amateur boxing. Abbasov's tactics in the final round were to run and when Kapuler caught him, foul. Incredibly, all five judges gave both the second and the third rounds to Abbasov. Kapuler was composed after seeing the scores following each round, but it was hard to miss an undercurrent of frustration bubbling under the surface the rest of the way.

If there was a round to give Abbasov, it was the first, but Kapuler deserved to win the fight. Instead, three judges scored the bout 30-27, one had it 29-28, and another 30-26 all for Abbasov. One of the judges was from Algeria, which doesn't even recognize the state of Israel. Frankly, he should not have been allowed to judge the contest. In fact, an Algerian boxer even refused to compete against Kapuler during March's IBA World Championships because of politics. But the Algerian judge didn't even turn in the worst card. Mohamed Thowfeek Safrask of Sri Lanka somehow called the third round a 10-8 for Abbasov. He should not be allowed to judge boxing anymore.

Kapuler has a style suited for the amateur ranks, but the judges screw him regularly. A slick boxer, he showed some dog in him during this bout. He's 3-0 as a pro and can make a nice career as a prizefighter if he can find a good situation.