"He is not a timekeeper, but a savior of boxers' health": WBC President Sulaimán defends referee in Usyk vs. Verhoeven fight
Kyiv • UNN
Mauricio Sulaimán supported the referee's decision to stop the Usyk vs. Verhoeven fight moments before the end of the round. He called the official a protector of the athletes' health, rather than a timekeeper.
World Boxing Council (WBC) President Mauricio Sulaiman has come to the defense of the referee in the bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Dutchman Rico Verhoeven, who stopped the fight one second before the end of the 11th round and awarded the victory to the Ukrainian by technical knockout. This is reported by Fight News, according to UNN.
Details
According to Sulaiman, a boxing referee is not a timekeeper, but a protector of the fighters' health.
The reality is that the health and even the life of a fighter are in the hands of the referee, while justice is in the hands of the judges. A few weeks ago, a controversy arose. ... We must understand that one punch can change everything – we have seen this many times – and the referee is tasked with stopping the fight one punch too early, rather than one punch too late. The round was about to end! The referee is not a timekeeper; he is the savior of the physical health of the opponents
Context
On May 24, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk secured a victory over Dutchman Rico Verhoeven in a bout in Egypt. The fight ended prematurely at the end of the 11th round.
Most fans and experts pointed out that Usyk was completely losing the fight, and the referee should have allowed the bout to continue.
According to the boxing scorecards, the Usyk vs. Verhoeven fight was even for two out of the three judges. Oliver Palomo and Fabian Guggenheim recorded a score of 95:95 at the moment the fight was stopped. However, Pasquale Procopio gave a minimal advantage to the Dutchman (95:94).