Punched out

Things boxing can't do these days, when the best show it can offer is a carnival sideshow not much different than Muhammad Ali fighting a wrestler or the ever-popular man vs. kangaroo:

1. Chew gum and walk at the same time.

2. Get out of its own way.

Other than that ... well, we are all left to wonder, after the sport once again tripped over its shadow on the big stage last night. It was Gennady Golovkin (probably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world now) vs. Canelo Alvarez, and it was a terrific fight, and Golovkin won. Except, this being boxing, he didn't.

Nope. It ended instead in a draw, a result that confounded almost every seasoned observer. And it ended in a draw because one judge, Adalaide Byrd, unaccountably scored it 118-110 in favor of Alvarez, giving Golovkin only two rounds.

How you can account for this when Golovkin landed more punches (218-169) and landed more in 10 of the 12 rounds is a surpassing mystery -- or, this being boxing, perhaps not. But when it's so out of round a call that even the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission feels compelled to comment on it ... well, eyebrows will be hoisted.

"Unfortunately, Adalaide was a little wide," said Bob Bennett, the aforementioned executive director. "I'm not making any excuses. I think she's an outstanding judge, and in any business, sometimes you have a bad day. It happens."

Well, yes. But in boxing, it seems to happen a lot. And the hell of it is, once again it tainted the quality of the product, which once again was better than the people running it deserved.

Truth is, Alvarez-Golovkin got a huge buildup and lived up to it. Most observers agree Golovkin won. One judge scored it in his favor; a second scored it a draw. And then there was Byrd, who somehow scored it an overwhelming victory for Alvarez.

And once again our reaction is "Hmmm." Or, if you're ESPN boxing analyst Teddy Atlas, to out-and-out call it corruption.

Who knows if it was that. But the draw did prompt both fighters to call for a rematch, which of course would be yet another chunky payday for both, which of course makes you think that was the plan all along.

And which of course unavoidably makes you wonder if Byrd got an off-the-books piece of last night's payday to set it all up.

That's a dark suspicion, admittedly. But in an age when boxing has to bring in someone from mixed martial arts to get the general public to pay attention to it, how does your mind not immediately go there?

Golovkin-Alvarez, remember, was the biggest non-carnival act boxing's seen since Mayweather-Pacquiao. So why not fix it so it can happen again?

It is boxing, after all.

And what an indictment are those five words.