Justis Huni`s manager, Mick Francis, has expressed significant dissatisfaction regarding the manner in which Fabio Wardley secured his dramatic knockout victory last Saturday.
Francis, an Australian, intends to lodge a formal protest with the WBA in the near future, potentially aiming to secure an immediate rematch for his fighter.
The fight`s conclusion came in the 10th round. Wardley, whose record now stands at 19-0-1 with 18 knockouts, was trailing on all three judges` scorecards when he landed a powerful right hand that ended the contest in spectacular fashion.
This victory allowed the 30-year-old Wardley to rescue what had been a challenging homecoming fight at Portman Road in Suffolk, England, the home stadium of Ipswich Town Football Club.
However, despite his impressive come-from-behind win, the stoppage has since become a subject of scrutiny within the boxing world.
The focus of the controversy is the count administered by referee John Latham. Several figures in boxing, most notably Francis, have questioned the fight`s conclusion based on the referee`s actions.
After being floored by Wardley`s heavy right hand, Huni, who holds a record of 12-1 (7 KOs), managed to get back to his feet relatively quickly. However, Latham waved the fight off almost immediately after Huni rose.
Francis has strongly criticized the speed of the referee`s count and is determined to pursue the matter further.
“He [Latham] just waved it off,” Francis told Fox Sports. “I’m lodging a protest with the WBA; we haven’t heard the end of this.”
He added, “I’ve already spoken to Eddie Hearn and Spencer [Brown] and they agreed. It’s a [WBA interim heavyweight] title [fight], not some fight in the park.”
Francis maintained that Huni was not unstable when he got up. “Yes, he got hit with a good shot, and if he’d had enough, fair enough. But Justis was putting on a boxing clinic,” Francis argued, suggesting Huni was dominating before the knockout.
Francis also implied bias, stating, “They were looking for any opportunity to give this fight to Wardley.”
Wardley has responded to the criticism via social media.
On X (formerly Twitter), he posted: “Just making the count isn’t enough. You have to be solid physically, mentally and convince the ref that you’re all there and are ready to continue. Clearly he [Huni] wasn’t.”
Wardley also shared a video replay of Latham’s count, which included a 10-second timer, seemingly demonstrating the referee`s count was within the expected timeframe.
Regardless of the protest, it is highly unlikely that the fight`s result will be overturned to a no-contest. Furthermore, even if the WBA were to order an immediate rematch, Wardley would most likely vacate his WBA interim title rather than face Huni again immediately.
