Promoter BOXXER will lodge a protest with the British Boxing Board of Control after Jeamie TKV’s controversial stoppage loss to David Adeleye.
TKV was fighting Adeleye for the British heavyweight title on Saturday at the Co op Live Arena in Manchester.
In the sixth round, referee Ron Kearney called break, so instructed the two boxers to part from a clinch, and slapped down TKV’s left hand.
Adeleye threw a left hook, that caught TKV’s exposed chin on the latter’s right hand side. That shot knocked TKV down.
Instead of pausing the action to admonish Adeleye for hitting on the break, an action not permitted in boxing but not necessarily a deliberate foul if Adeleye had not heard the referee, Kearney just issued TKV with a count and allowed the fight to continue.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the fight between TKV and Michael Webster earlier this year.
TKV was hurt and only just beat that count before Adeleye attacked again and after TKV went down for a second time he was stopped.
With TKV’s team outraged at the referee’s actions, his promoter BOXXER will lodge a protest with the British Boxing Board of Control and the matter will be under discussion at the Board’s meeting on Wednesday.
BOXXER’s Ben Shalom told Sky Sports: “We will be lodging a protest with the British Boxing Board of Control to be heard at their board meeting on Wednesday. The decision has to be overturned.”
He added: “Jeamie was in control of the fight and on his way to winning the British heavyweight title when the referee’s intervention cost him the fight.
“We trust the board will make the right decision.”
‘It gets worse the more I watch it’
It wasn’t the only piece of refereeing on the show in Manchester that caused consternation.
In the third round of Corey O’Regan’s Commonwealth super lightweight title fight with Jack Rafferty, referee Darren Sarginson started to break the fighters and pulled down O’Regan’s left glove. Rafferty immediately threw a hard right which caught O’Regan flush and dropped him heavily.
O’Regan fought on but was ultimately pulled out in the fifth round, suffering his first pro defeat.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Jeamie TKV claimed a TKO win over Franklin Ignatius as the referee took a blow to the head in the process of stopping the fight.
Matthew Macklin, O’Regan’s manager, told Sky Sports: “I’ve watched that multiple times back and the referee pulls his hand down, his left hand which was blocking his left side, which then left an opening for Jack Rafferty to land the right hook which he does a split second after the ref pulls the hand down.
“That’s the shot which turned the fight on its head. Corey was boxing well up to that point, winning the fight and has told me he was just starting to really feel comfortable, find his distance etc.
“After that he never really recovered. Even though he probably won the fourth round, he was really fighting on autopilot, fighting on heart, fighting on instinct and it was taking its toll on him, so it was a crucial moment of the fight.
“It’s inexcusable,” Macklin concluded. “It actually gets worse the more I watch it.”
