That was appalling refereeing. He basically told Foreman's corner they couldn't pull him out. He was coaching Foreman, telling him to act like a champion. Completely beyond the boundaries of his job. Could you imagine Bayless doing that? Mercante is one of the worst high-profile referees out there.
Mercante and Cole are perhaps the two worse refs at the moment, seeing as Dave Parris is finished, I should perhaps add O'Connor as well.
He's horrendous, and seems to keep getting work because of his dad, who WAS a good ref. Cotto-Foreman is a brilliant example of his shiteness. Not only does he not do his job as referee to protect the fighter(and seeing as Foreman's most important aspect of his game is movement it's even worse in his case) at the instructions he decides to say ''Miguel Sr, Dad, rest in peace.'' Now, I'm not suggesting he has bias towards Cotto(the fights subsequent events prove otherwise) but he leaves it open to interpretation, if Cotto wanted to have respects paid to his father he could have got something on his shorts or robe, he doesn't need the referee to announce it.
jpab, I'd forgotten the thing about Miguel Sr. That was bizarre. Then you had him swearing during the fight when Foreman slipped. Surely there's a code of behaviour referees are meant to follow?
That's what I thought. Or at least some kind of tribunal-like thing where he had to defend his actions(not stopping the fight, swearing etc)? It's not like he hasn't got a history of controversy so I'm suprised that I've never heard his actions questioned by a commission. Could be a similar situation to Cole though, his father is on one of the commissions, and what with Mercante Sr being considered one of the best refs ever might have some influence on it. But it's all just speculation I suppose.:conf
Cotto's dad received the 10 strikes of the bell at a fight well before that, I forget which one though. may have been Margarito-Mosley
Margarito-Mosley was the 24th of January in 2009 so I dont think it was that. Didnt he die between the Pacquiao and Foreman fights?'
yeah I think it was last January now that I've checked it out, Cotto was at ringside that night when his father got the 10 bell. for the life of him I can remember which fight it was.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r10UhTO9JaI[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKE9jPXbHYE[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fVHQAWh-r0&feature=related[/ame]
Let's just say I agree with Ron Lipton when it comes to this schmuck. Got, and kept, the job thanks to his daddy and responsible for some dreadful oversights and pandering-to-the-camera showboating.