LAS VEGAS – Egis Klimas had an issue with Dave Moretti even before the veteran judge scored Devin Haney a 116-112 winner over Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday night.
Klimas, Lomachenko’s longtime manager, revealed during their post-fight press conference that he objected to the appointment of Moretti when the Nevada State Athletic Commission provided its pool of potential judges to both camps in the weeks prior to their lightweight title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena. State and tribal boxing commissions in the United States oftentimes eliminate a judge or referee from a list of candidates if one fighter’s team expresses concerns about a particular official working a bout.
According to Klimas, NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen informed him that the 78-year-old Moretti remains one of the top judges his commission can assign to a fight. The NSAC approved Moretti, Nevada’s Tim Cheatham and Oklahoma’s David Sutherland as its judges for Haney-Lomachenko on Wednesday during its monthly meeting.
Moretti scored eight rounds for Haney, who won 116-112 on his card. Cheatham (115-113) and Sutherland (115-113) scored seven rounds apiece for Haney, who retained his IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 135-pound championships by winning their closely contested, entertaining fight.
In addition to scoring one more round for Haney than Cheatham and Sutherland, Moretti credited Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) for winning the 10th round, which Lomachenko seemingly won. Cheatham and Sutherland scored the 10th round for Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs).
“I was the first [who] protested Dave Moretti to have as a judge,” Klimas said. “And we protested that to [the] commission. And the commissioner told [me] he is one of my best judges. And that [was disproved] today again.”
Moretti has worked countless high-profile pay-per-view main events and world championship matches since he judged his first professional fight in 1977.
He drew criticism just four weeks before Saturday night, however, for scoring the second round of the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia fight even (10-10). Davis knocked Garcia to the canvas in the second round April 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but he didn’t win that round according to Moretti.
Davis dropped Garcia again with a body shot in the seventh round, when Garcia failed to reach his feet in time to answer referee Thomas Taylor’s count.
Moretti had Davis ahead, 59-56, entering the seventh round of their 12-round, 136-pound bout. Davis also led on the scorecards of Cheatham (58-56) and Steve Weisfeld (59-55) through six rounds of action.
Klimas also stated Saturday night that he intends to file an official protest of Haney’s victory with the NSAC. While his manager contended that Ukraine’s Lomachenko was “robbed,” the more reserved three-division champion simply stated he is sure he did enough to win their ESPN Pay-Per-View main event.
“Look, during [the] whole fight, I control the fight,” Lomachenko said. “And all fight I understand [I was] winning this fight. I [won] this fight. So, for me of course it was a big surprise. And then 12 rounds ends, I was sure I won this fight. It is what it is.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.