IBO’s supervisor, Andile Matika has backed referee Roger Barnor’s decision to stop the fight between Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe and Argentina’s Fernando David Saucedo in round 10.
The referee’s decision last Saturday night at the Bukom Boxing didn’t sit down well with Saucedo’s camp after they believed Tagoe landed some illegal blows (rabbit punches).
Barnor has been criticized by boxing fans after stopping the bout in round 10.
But Matika believed that Barnor was right in stopping the fight after Saucedo went against most of the rules.
“In fact, the referee was spot on. He was right in taking that decision. Boxing is fought with rules and regulations but Saucedo had gone against many of the rules,” he told pressman.
He continued, “He spat his gum shield out several times, his camp was shouting, the boxer shoved the referee and talked back at the referee and all that were against the rules.
The referee was fair and he could have stopped the bout even earlier.”
Matika went on to say that Saucedo’s camp did not reach out to him and the IBO to challenge the decision because they knew that referee Barnor was without fault on the night.
“The camp of the challenger did not make any formal protest to me and to be honest, they know that they were wrong. I can give assurances that they will not make any protests because they know that they did not go with the rules.”
The fight was Tagoe’s first defense of his IBO belt after winning it 13 months ago after beating South Africa’s Mzonke Fana.
Source: Starrsportsgh
