by Michael Marley

Another weekend, another important fight, another controversy.

Last Saturday, we had the odious split decision in Las Vegas which gave Timothy Bradley a completely undeserved split decision victory and the WBO welterweight crown, as two judges scored in his favor over pound-for-pound Manny Pacquiao.

In El Paso on Saturday, Irish southpaw puncher Andy Lee, a Manny Steward protege, collides with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of Mexico's greatest ring icon.

This controvery seems contrived and has apparently run out of steam in record time.

What's the beef, you ask?

Lee co-manager Perry Mandera, as far as I know another Perry Come Lately to big time boxing, asked the Texas commission to put both Lee's and Chavez's fight gloves on the scale to make sure they both weighed 10 ounces.

"We just want everything fair. I don't know why they wouldn't drop the gloves on a scale to remove any doubt about a pair of gloves they brought themselves. Yes, it's a new pair, but you ever buy a pair of shoes that say size 10 and they're not? That's all we were trying to resolve. So why won't they weigh the gloves?"

Commission inspector Robert Tapia, noting that there is no requirement of weighing the gloves selected by each fighter, told Team Lee to buzz off.

Chavez trainer Freddie Roach told Team Lee to get lost. (Lee co-manager and trainer Steward was in transit to Texas at the time.)

According to both Chavez promoter Bob Arum and Lee promoter Volcanic Lou DiBella, the HBO televised 160 pound title scrap goes on as scheduled.

"What controversy, what scandal? Arum barked late Friday afternoon. "We're here on the scene, we had lunch with DiBella and he said nothing about this. This guy (Mandera) is wanna be kind of guy. It's boxing, man, you expect this. It means nothing."

DiBella took exception but confirmed that the fight will proceed.

"I know it's not in their rules but why not, why not do something that can show fairness in our sport?" DiBella said. "I appreciate Freddie's attitude, though. Freddie said it's not in the rules and they refused to weigh the gloves. But I can't ignore the logic of the request."

Imagine that, DiBella referenced "logic" in the context of boxing.