The highly anticipated showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford is now just ten days away, set to take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and streamed live on Netflix. Ahead of the historic clash, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has finalized the officials for the night. Judges Tim Cheatham, Max DeLuca, and Steve Weisfeld will be ringside, while veteran referee Tom Taylor has been assigned as the third man in the ring.

On a recent episode of his ‘THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas’ podcast, the 69-year-old renowned trainer raised serious concerns, particularly about Tim Cheatham’s record as a judge. Notably, Cheatham has scored three of Canelo’s past fights, including bouts against Billy Joe Saunders, Dmitry Bivol, and Jaime Munguia. Atlas went on to scrutinize Cheatham’s track record and shed light on what he described as the darker side of boxing politics.

Canelo Alvarez Will Be Happy With Cheatham, Says Teddy Atlas

Atlas claimed that if there were two judges he would want thoroughly investigated, “I would say… it might be a good place to start with… [David] Sutherland and… Cheatham.” Cheatham recently came under scrutiny for his scoring in the Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora fight. He scored it 116-112 for Tszyu, even though Fundora appeared to dominate the bout. The other two judges scored it 115-113 and 116-113 in Fundora’s favor. Highlighting this, Atlas’ co-host pressed him on whether such officials should even be allowed to participate in high-profile fights.

Atlas explained that as the manager or promoter of a fighter, “you can’t say who you want, but you can say who you don’t want.” He noted that commissions ultimately decide which judges are assigned, depending on whether it’s a title or non-title fight. He criticized them for not having “a rotating system enough. It’s always the same guys… in the same locales.” According to Atlas, this breeds unhealthy familiarity between judges and promoters.

“[Promoters] wind up having a familiarity and relationship with the judges,” Atlas claimed. He advised commissions, “I think that you can help a lot by rotating and getting new blood in there,” to prevent close ties from forming. Atlas even alleged that promoters and judges “go out to dinner” together. Since promoters are the ones paying judges, he warned, “If those [judges] aren’t getting the decisions that [the promoters] want… you’ll be one of the [judges] that ain’t working. So we need a National Commission.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming fight, Atlas stated, “If I’m with Canelo, I think I’m happy with Cheatham. But if I’m with Crawford… I’m saying, ‘Wait a minute, hold on.’” Cheatham had Canelo Alvarez winning five rounds in a fight many observers believed Bivol controlled, losing no more than four rounds at best. Another judge that night, Steve Weisfeld, who will also be officiating the Canelo-Crawford bout, scored the fight identically.

“I’ve more singled out Tim Cheatham because of his inconsistencies.” Atlas’ co-host said during the podcast. But the lingering question remains: what recourse does Crawford’s team really have if they want the judging panel changed to ensure fairness?

Could Terence Crawford Do This in Response?

The co-host of the show pressed Atlas about the options Crawford has if he wants to make a change. “You’re telling the manager, really, for the most part,” Atlas explained. “You can put in for rejecting somebody and hope that you get your way.” The veteran trainer shared that he has no idea what Crawford’s team is doing since the officials were announced. 

Still, he claimed that if he were in Terence Crawford’s team, the judges’ panel for the fight would worry him. “If I’m with Crawford, I’m thinking Jesus. This is a guy who had it real close with Canelo-Bivol,” he said. As for how Atlas saw the Canelo-Bivol fight, “I had Bivol winning 11 rounds… even if you said 10, you’d be kind of generous.”

Teddy Atlas has sounded alarm bells after the officials for the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight on Netflix were revealed. However, whether Crawford decides to get the panel changed is yet to be seen. What do you think?