Lion Fight 24 returned to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. The night's main event featured the return of American stand out Ky Hollenbeck as he took on up and coming Richard Abraham. Many expected Hollenbeck to run through the less experienced Abraham, but the fighter from Illinois showed some real grit.
Hollenbeck used his usual aggressive style to try and keep Abraham on his heels, but Abraham was more than willing to engage with Hollenbeck as he came forward. Hollenbeck started off slow, but as the rounds went on he got more aggressive. and started landing some nice shots and looked stronger in the clinch. In the second round a cut was opened over the right right eye of Abraham, and in the third round an accidental headbutt opened a cut over the left eye of Hollenbeck. The referee stopped the action to have it checked and the doctor allowed the fight to continue.
In the fourth round Abraham landed a right hand that caused the cut to open again and after a few more seconds of action the referee called for the doctor to check on Hollenbeck's cut. The doctor stopped the bout and it seemed Abraham would be the winner by (T)KO, but a protest from Hollenbeck resulted in the fight going to the judges score cards where Hollenbeck was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
The controversial part of the ending is that typically this would be a (T)KO win for Abraham. If the fight had been stopped when the headbutt first occurred then the ruling of a no contest would apply or if the headbutt had occurred in the fourth round then they would go to the score cards, but letting it continue into another round and the cut opening up again because of a landed punch doesn't fall under that. The ruling should have been a (T)KO win for Abraham due to doctor stoppage. On top of that when the doctor was checking the cut he asked how it happened, if it was a headbutt or elbow. It shouldn't matter to the doctor how the cut happened as their job is to assess if the fighter is able to continue fighting with the cut. How it occurred should have no bearing on the his decision if the fighter is able to continue or not. Unless they have some special rules in Connecticut regarding this Abraham should have won by doctor stoppage.
In the co-main event Ognjen Topic and Stephen Meleady fought for five rounds as both men looked to capture the Lion Fight Lightweight Title. The first two rounds were close as both fighters exchanged kick & punches, and jockeyed for position in the clinch. Topic began to take control with his boxing in the third round, and in the fourth round wobbled Meleady. It was evident Meleady was tough as nails as he continued to press forward, but Topic got the better of the exchanges. In the end Topic won a unanimous decision and the Lion Fight Lightweight Championship.
Jo Nattawut showed why they call him Smokin' Jo. He successfully defended his Lion Fight Super Welterweight Championship against the UK's Charlie Peters. Nattawut was a bit more aggressive than normal in this fight and it paid off when he scored a third round (T)KO due to elbows. A barrage of elbows knocked Peters down and after the referee started his count Peters signaled he could not continue. Nattawut continues to be undefeated since joining Lion Fight and has now gone 5-0 for the promotion.
In other action Gaston Bolanos remained undefeated with a fantastic finish of Ben Yelle in the second round. Bolanos landed his patented spinning elbow and hurt Yelle which led to the fight being called off. It was another fantastic performance by the young Bolanos.
Chris Mauceri was also in action and delivered the KO of the night. In the third round he landed a brutal spinning elbow on Nicolas Parlanti that knocked him out cold. It was easily the most spectacular finish of Mauceri's career.
Results:
Ky Hollenbeck def. Richard Abraham via Unanimous Decision
Ognjen Topic def. Stephen Meleady via Unanimous Decision
Jo Nattawut def. Charlie Peters via KO (Elbows) in Rd. 3
Gaston Bolanos def. Ben Yelle via (T)KO in Rd. 2
Chris Mauceri def. Nicolas Parlanti via KO (Spinning Elbow) in Rd. 3
Julio Pena def. Yelson Berdugo via (T)KO in Rd. 3
Come on man, learn the rules before you go around saying that the decision for Hollenbeck was incorrect. you are wrong and that's ok but when you say it as cavalierly as you did in the article it makes you lose credibility as a reliable source of information. here's the facts:
ReplyDeletetechnical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight has to be stopped because of a headbutt.
In boxing fights, referees have to pay deep attention to the action going on between the fighters, especially when the two combatants are fighting close to each other. This is because, in the case of a cut, the referee must decide whether the cut was caused by a punch or by a head collision. Only the referee can make that decision.
Most head collisions in boxing are probably unintentional, especially when both boxers are trying for a knockout, many times getting involved in close range fights. If a boxer intentionally butts an opponent's head, this is considered a flagrant foul that could result in disqualification of the offender.
In the case of a cut to the head, it is the referee's responsibility of taking the injured boxer to a medical doctor seated at ringside as many times as the referee thinks necessary, regardless of the referee's decision of the cut being provoked by a punch or not. When the doctor tells the referee that the combatant cannot go on, then the referee must stop the fight. If the referee decided that the cut was caused by a punch, then the other boxer wins by technical knockout. If the referee decides it was produced by a collision, then the judges at ringside must hand over their scorecards, and the fighter ahead on points wins by technical decision.
watch the tape of the fight. listen to the ref when the doctor asks "was the cut caused by a punch or by a head butt". what did the ref say? Headbutt. end of story. it doesnt matter that the headbutt happened in a different round. the cut was caused by a headbutt and thats the reason the fight was stopped. not as a result of some phantom right hand that opened up the cut in the 4th round. i ref took Hollenbeck to the corner to be assessed, the doctor called the fight, the ref determined the cut was the result of a headbutt, the fight goes to the score cards. where exactly in the controversy?? it wasn't legal techniques that opened the cut. it was a headbutt. also Richard being the type of fighter he is probably wouldn't want to lose every round in a fight and win on a tko from a cut caused by a headbutt. i know i wouldn't. so try not to go around making claims that dont have any basis in the actual rules of the sport.
Hollenbeck clearly dominated the fight! The wound was clearly inflicted by an illegal head butt! The rules of the sport clearly state that in the event the fight is stopped in the fourth round by the ring-side doctor for a wound inflicted incidentally, the decision goes to score cards. Hollenbeck did what any world-class fighter in his position would have done. He knew he won the fight, the audience knew he won the fight, and based on his reaction when he found out it was going to score cards, Abraham knew Hollenbeck won the fight. So as a world-class Muay Thai athlete Hollenbeck fought for the rules of the sport to be followed and was rightfully awarded what he had earned... a unanimous victory. All this sensationalist "journalism" about a controversy is pointless and does nothing but devalue the fighters efforts and the integrity of the sport. There was no controversy!! Just an equitable enforcement of the rules of the sport and the correct decision of a unanimous victory for Hollenbeck. Why don't you write about that?
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