NEVADA ATTORNEY GENERAL: NOTHING CRIMINAL ABOUT BRADLEY-PACQUIAO SCORING
By Scott Shaffer

A letter sent by the office of the Nevada Attorney General to promoter Bob Arum closed the investigation that Arum requested concerning the controversial scoring that enabled Tim Bradley to defeat Manny Pacquiao on June 9, 2012. Nearly everyone thought Pacquiao deserved to win the decision, but two judges, Duane Ford and C.J. Ross, shocked the public by awarding seven of the twelve rounds to Bradley, making Bradley the winner by split decision. Although there were no unusual betting patterns detected by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and referee Robert Byrd and Athletic Commission chief Keith Kizer both told the investigator that nothing out of the ordinary occurred, none of the three judges were interviewed as part of the investigation. Dale Liebherr, the office's Chief of Investigations wrote to Arum, "Displeasure with the subjective decisions of sporting officials is not a sufficient basis for this office to initiate a criminal investigation.  Unless evidence beyond mere displeasure is forthcoming, this matter will be considered closed. While there may be strong disagreement with the decision, the exercise of professional judgment by individuals officiating at a sprting event is not by itself a criminal violation."