Sherdog’s Top 10: Worst Decisions

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2. Mike Easton vs. Chase Beebe
Ultimate Warrior Challenge 7 “Redemption”
Oct. 3, 2009 | Fairfax, Va.
There is an old saying in combat sports that a challenger has to take the belt from the champion. The adage, while not officially documented in any rulebook, still tends to carry weight when decisions are rendered on fight night. Beebe knows this all too well.

It looked as though Beebe had done the necessary work to wrest the title from reigning bantamweight king Easton at Ultimate Warrior Challenge 7 “Redemption.” A decorated amateur wrestler, Beebe had little difficulty closing the distance and scoring takedowns against his opponent. He spent the better part of three rounds on Easton’s back -- hooks in -- attacking with strikes and threatening with chokes. The fact that the Illinois native’s most dominant work came in the final three frames seemed to seal the verdict.

Beebe was not the only one who thought victory was imminent. Shortly after the bout’s conclusion, UWC promoter Marcello Foran approached Beebe to congratulate him.

“Before the decision was read I said to Chase, ‘Wow, that was a close one,’” Foran told Sherdog.com in 2009. “It looks like we’ll have to come to Chicago for your first title defense.”

Seemingly all that was left for Beebe was to bask in the glow of victory. Yet when the final scorecards were announced, Easton was the one celebrating. Thanks to a 48-46 score by Brian Costello and a 49-46 tally by Brian Cunningham, both in favor of Easton, “The Hulk” retained his title via split decision. Despite it being Easton’s hometown, the Fairfax, Va., faithful voiced their displeasure when the ruling was revealed.

The decision was so controversial that the Virginia athletic commission did not immediately submit results from that weekend’s card to the Association of Boxing Commissions the following Monday. However, after an investigation, Virginia’s department of professional and occupational regulation determined that the fight was not scored incorrectly by the judges in question. The contentious result would stand.

Also of note were Cunningham’s post-fight remarks. According to the closing memorandum of the investigation, Cunningham stated that Beebe “had to do more to win the fight than the champion did.” Many interested parties, including Beebe, the promoter and those in attendance, felt he had done so.

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