“What Makes You Think He Was Not Okay?”: Before Derrick Lewis at UFC 277, Angry Fans Question Referee for Bad Stoppage in Boxing Match
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The combat sport world witnessed two controversial decisions on Saturday 30th July. One on the card of boxing and another on the main card of UFC.
The co-main event under the Garcia vs Benavidez fight caught more attention after the showdown came to an end. Gary Antuanne Russell and Rances Barthelemy entered the ring boasting their undefeated career record. However, at the end of the day, the highly anticipated contest ended in a controversial win into Russell’s bag.
Gary Antuanne Russell with the TKO win over Barthelemy. #GarciaBenavidez
🎥 @ShowtimeBoxing
pic.twitter.com/4sUSy0SwAI— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) July 31, 2022
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The knockout machine Russell improved his record to 16-0 after stopping Barthelemy in the sixth round with a brutal right hook. Till the sixth round, Barthelemy produced the toughest front for Russell but finally, he fell to the floor. However, the controversy came into play when the referee stopped the fight, regardless of the fact that Barthelemy had enough to continue.
A similar controversy became a storyline at UFC 277. Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich entered the arena on the main card to land an exciting contest, but it ended with a disputed referee’s stoppage. In the initial rounds, the Russian banged Lewis with heavy blows, which forced the referee to stop the fight. However, fans and the commentators in the arena appeared unhappy with this decision as Lewis was in the condition to continue.
When the decisions of both contests circulated on the social media platform, fans could not hold themselves from questioning.
Fans reacted to the controversial win of Gary Antuanne Russell
An unhappy fan wrote, “Didn’t deserve to be stopped that fast. They should have gave him a chance.”
Didn’t deserve to be stopped that fast. They should have gave him a chance.
— AnotherTekguy (@AnotherTekguy) July 31, 2022
Another fan advocated to protect the fighter, but at the same time, he ripped into the bad stoppage.
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Bad stoppage 💯
Yes protect the fighter but at the same time give them a chance.
— 🇺🇸🇮🇹 Beta Ray Bill 🇬🇧🇩🇪 (@RayBill2) July 31, 2022
Another fan mentioned that this win was a gift for Russell.
Boxing Getting Soft! Terrible Stoppage.. Gary Antuanne A Problem But He Was Gifted This Win.
— AYCITO (@RapsNum1Pick) July 31, 2022
Another fan questioned the decision of selecting such a referee, who stopped the fight at such a controversial moment.
Terrible stoppage. Who let Antonio Tarver be the referee!?
— Boxing Network (@WeBoxingNetwork) July 31, 2022
Another fan asked for an investigation against the referee.
Definitely the wrong decision! This referee needs to be investigated
— 🥑 (@basketfan7) July 31, 2022
He got up, looked at his trainer and signaled he was okay, walked to the neutral corner, followed the ref command when asked to walk forward….what makes you think he was not okay?
— Yr (@YRYYO) July 31, 2022
Another fan made a reasonable statement. He wrote, “If Barthelemy was fighting like trash the whole fight then stop it but he was giving Russell a run for his money…give him a chance and watch him referee..”
If Barthelemy was fighting like trash the whole fight then stop it but he was giving Russel a run for his money…give him a chance and watch him Referee…
— John DuRousseau (@john_durousseau) July 31, 2022
This fan came in support of the referee. He believed that the stoppage was right.
Barthelemy had not recovered. Too early in the round. Russell would have beat him down, more head shots. Quick not horrible stop. Ref saved him from a brutal finish.
— doolah k (@dknorl) July 31, 2022
Bogus stop from the ref 💯 great win for Gary Russell tho very entertaining match.
— Meechie👌🏽💦 (@deylovemeech) July 31, 2022
he should have given him a chance imo, but had his finger on the trigger to stop it immediately.
— Duster Bugless (@raresteamedhams) July 31, 2022
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Horrendous stoppage…. Barthelemy looked at the referee at the Eyes and nodded that he was alright. Maybe a language barrier between both..
— Erick Pagan (@ErickPagan13) July 31, 2022
The referees and judges often become the subject of attention in combat sports due to wrong decisions. Many believe a need for a revolution in the decision-making system of referees and judges is justified.
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Written by:
Edited by:
Ajinkya Aswale