The second knockdown in the 11th round of this IBF Bantamweight fight was controversial. Abner Mares clearly hit Joseph Agbeko low but it was one of several that referee Russell Mora either ignored or merely warned Mares about and Jim Gray called him out on it.
When the bout was over, Mares took a majority decision and Agbeko’s IBF Bantamweight belt. The Showtime Bantamweight final was the first ever for Mares but don’t expect the controversy to end anytime soon.
Credit/Tom Casino Showtime
The homegrown product of Golden Boy Promotions outworked Agbeko, scoring a knockdown in the first round but the verdict may be officially challenged by Agbeko’s camp.
Despite the countless number of blows below the belt, not one point was ever taken from Mares. The fight was scored 113-113, 115-111, 115-111 and could have turned had the referee taken at least one point from mares and called the fight as one would have expected.
The Showtime broadcast team, including Jim Gray certainly didn’t pull any punches, going at the ref during the post-fight interviews. A rematch seems likely.
For more on the fight visit my Examiner column here.
Used with permission of the author.
Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.
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