Robson Conceicao is four days removed from a controversial loss to WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez. A day ago, the Brazillian-born fighter filed an official complaint with the WBC.
Valdez walked away with a unanimous decision victory in a highly competitive fight. Two judges scored the fight 115-113. The third judge, Stephen Blea, saw the margin much wider at 117-110.
The problem many observers have with Blea’s scorecard is Conceicao dominated much of the first five rounds. Valdez rallied in the mid to late rounds of the fight, but Conceicao was still competitive. Most observers think it unlikely that Valdez was the better man over 75 percent of the boxing match.
Stephen Blea also made news yesterday by apologizing and admitting to the WBC that his scorecard was inaccurate. Blea says his card did not “represent the actions in the ring.”
Blea admitted to giving two close rounds to Valdez even though he did not see a clear winner for the rounds. The judge also says the noise made by the pro-Valdez crowd in Tuscon, Arizona affected his scoring.
Blea says he watched the fight a second time on ESPN+. He still thinks Valdez is the winner. However, he now agrees with the 115-113 score turned in by the other two judges.
Robson Conceicao’s complaint also addressed the WBC allowing Valdez to fight and keep his title after testing positive for a banned drug. The WBC’s Clean Boxing Program works through the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. The drug found in Valdez’s system, phentermine, is among the list of substances banned by VADA.
The third complaint from Conceicao is the “bias” shown by referee Tony Zaino. Many boxing fans felt the one-point penalty Zaino issued to Conceicao for hitting behind the head in round nine was unwarranted. Conceicao received no “hard” warning before losing a point for a “light tap” to the back of Valdez’s head.
Robson Conceicao is asking the WBC for an immediate rematch. He is also willing to accept the no. 1 spot in the WBC rankings.