Last night we had our first “major” boxing event of 2024 and now we have our first scandal. Referee Tony Weeks, this weekend’s main character thanks to a horribly early stoppage late in Frederick Lawson’s first round by Vergil Ortiz Jr, claimed on Facebook that two of Lawson’s pre-fight brain scans revealed an aneurysm before a different doctor did the same scan. He found nothing and authorized him to fight.
Weeks has since deleted the post, but Dan Canobbio was quick enough to take a screenshot beforehand. I can personally attest to having seen the post on his Facebook page, complete with a comment from former contender Mykal Fox.
Golden Boy quickly issued the following statement: “Fredrick Lawson was cleared by a physician licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to fight Saturday night. All other questions should be referred to the NSAC.”
I’m not going to act as a neutral journalist and say “these allegations, if true, yadda yadda regarding yadda.” I don’t believe it for a second. The NSAC may be among the most blatantly corrupt commissions in the country, as seen in its refusal to discipline its countless incompetent officials and its willingness to sanction garbage like Power Slap, but I can’t imagine they would go nuclear to save an event. main of D.
But okay, let’s assume that Weeks somehow got hold of Lawson’s medical information. For him to have had any impact on his officiating, he had to have seen him before the fight. That means that in Week’s ideal scenario, the one in which he heroically saved a compromised fighter after every other official failed him, he knowingly allowed a man with a potentially lethal brain injury to take punches from fucking Vergil Ortiz.
What was his plan if Ortiz simply wiped him out with one shot and never gave Weeks an excuse to intervene early? If Weeks is telling the truth, he failed as a human being by allowing Lawson to enter the ring.
We will keep you informed as the situation develops. I will make another prediction and say that the consequences will be significant.
