Derek Chisora has given his two cents on Jake Paul’s dramatic final round knockdown in his fight against Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia.
Paul appeared to land a solid jab on an off balance Fury, causing the Brit to touch down and referee Hector Afu to administer a count.
However, Chisora told SecondsOut that he believes the official got it wrong on the night, and that the fall should have been ruled a slip.
“He slipped, because the canvas was wet. People were slipping.
Afu’s decision to call a knockdown proved inconsequential in the end, as Fury emerged with a split decision victory at the Diriyah Arena.
Chisora’s view is not a particularly widespread one – with even Tommy’s father John admitting the decision to give a knockdown was the correct one.
“It was a stumble, but a jab caused the stumble, so the referee was right. It was a jab and it caused him to be off-balance, but I looked at him [Tommy], he nodded back, I knew he was OK.”
There was plenty of other controversial refereeing decisions on the night, with both Paul and Fury docked points.
Most observers believe both deductions were harsh, and Afu has come under widespread criticism for his officiating on the night.
After a drawn out and sour build up that has spanned well over a year, the pair showed each other nothing but respect after the contest and embraced, putting to bed all the bad blood that had manifested.
That all looks to be have foregone already, though, with Paul having publicly stated his desire to activate the contractual rematch clause and Fury appearing to welcome a second meeting.
Members of ‘TNT’s team have also called for the American to pay out on the ‘double or nothing’ bet that was agreed at the final pre fight press conference.
No contract was signed on this, so it’s hard to imagine Fury receiving payment from ‘The Problem Child’ any time soon.