Boxing referees may also need to receive hazard pay.
Keyshawn Davis won a hard-fought 10-round unanimous decision over Miguel Madueno on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, but the most shocking incident from the lightweight bout was when the referee got punched.
At the end of the sixth round, Davis appeared to hurt Madueno near the gong, after which Madueno got his face close to Davis’ face and began yelling abuse.
Davis responded by shoving Madueno in the face, and Madueno responded with a slap.
But instead of attacking Davis, Madueno Accidentally hit the umpire He punched the referee in the face as he was trying to separate the fighters, causing him to stagger but not to fall to the ground.
Madueno was not disqualified for the incident.
Actress Rosie Perez, who was watching the ESPN Top Rank Boxing bout, criticized Madueno in a tweet, saying he should have been penalized for punching the referee.
“I can’t believe the ref doesn’t get a point for being slapped by a bitch!” Perez posted on X.
All three judges scored the fight 99-91 in favor of Davis, improving his record to 11-0 (7 knockouts).
Madueno (31-3, 28 KOs) suffered his third defeat but, like all his losses, he held on until the final bell.
The bout, which was broadcast on ESPN, was a fierce one, with both players being tackled, lifted and even a referee punching each other, but at the end of the heated battle, the two players embraced each other.
“We were both tough and neither of us were willing,” Davis, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist, said after the match. According to the ring.
