ShoBox: Edwin Rodriguez vs Will Rosinsky Marred by Judges

Boxing is prone to more questionable officiating than most sports, due in large part to the incestuous relationship between promoters and the officials in charge of maintaining order. The inherent unfairness of that arrangement was on display again on ShoBox Friday night at Foxwoods as Queens native Will Rosinsky (right) gave touted super middleweight prospect Edwin Rodriguez (left) more than he could handle for ten rounds only to be on the short end of a clean sweep on the scorecards.

Judges Glenn Feldman, Peter Hary and Clark Sammartino were probably the only people in the arena that didn’t think Rosinsky had won a single round, but sadly they probably ensured themselves another payday protecting some promoter’s prize investment. Perhaps the worst aspect of the decision was the relative shrug of their shoulders by Showtime’s ringside crew. All it takes for evil to flourish in this sport is for good men to do nothing. We have only the utmost respect Steve Farhood, but his reluctance to call out the judges for their obvious bias was frustrating to say the least.

Perhaps if this were a state with some semblance of a legitimate athletic commission there would be recourse for Rosinsky, but since the fight took place on the Mashantucket Reservation under the authority of that tribe’s commission he must content himself with having earned the respect of any knowledgeable fight fan that caught the bout.

Rosinsky showed strong determination and a sturdy beard, walking through Rodriguez’s shots and bullying him inside for much of the middle rounds. “La Bomba” certainly had his moments and the fight was close enough that a verdict for either man would have been acceptable, but a draw was a more fitting result. There is simply no way an honest man could have scored every round for Rodriguez.

The ridiculous scorecards also distracted from what had been one of the best fights of the year pitting two young, unbeaten American prospects with similarly impressive amateur pedigrees. Though they have taken different paths to this point, both 26-year-olds have ended up in roughly the same position. Edwin showed he might not be ready yet to take the next step to contender, while Rosinsky proved he belongs in at least the same breath as his former amateur teammate.

Rodriguez may still be unbeaten in name but our bet is that most of the contenders at super middleweight would rather see him across the ring than Rosinsky, who has primarily campaigned at light heavyweight. If there is any justice in the sport (increasingly doubtful), someone at ESPN, HBO or Showtime will realize the NYFD EMT has enough appeal to deserve another TV fight, one where the cards are not stacked against him from the outset.

Brooklyn super lightweight Gabriel “Tito” Bracero dominated Puerto Rico’s Daniel Sostre over ten rounds in the televised support. The Sunset Park native turned in a workmanlike effort by staying in the pocket and firing a steady diet of combinations while the gangly Sostre struggled to handle the pressure.

Bracero has shown solid technique and increasing power in his past few fights but his greatest asset is his focus and comfort in the ring. He never looked out of his element and fights every round with the same consistent effort, making him an appealing prospect despite his advanced age.

The 30-year-old Bracero turned pro in 2001 but missed over seven years of action due to a weapons charge that landed him in prison. Since resuming his career in December 2009 he has fought 11 times, showing steady improvement and flashes of previously unseen power by stopping his last two foes early after registering only one stoppage in his first 15 fights.

Bracero’s ability to sell tickets in New York should ensure he eventually gets a major fight at 140 lbs. Having cruised through his past few fights, it would appear the time has come for promoter Lou DiBella to find him a more meaningful challenge.