Thomas Taylor: referee defended by Fundora promoter over last-second stoppage
Taylor stopped Sebastian Fundora's WBC super welterweight title defence against Ermal Hadribeaj at an official 2:59 of the 12th round, with Fundora already well clear on all three scorecards.
Post by @DAZNBoxing on X
Sampson Lewkowicz, promoter of Sebastian Fundora, has backed referee Thomas Taylor over his decision to end Fundora's WBC super welterweight title defence against Ermal Hadribeaj in the final second. Lewkowicz argued that letting the fight run on would have denied the champion a stoppage he had earned.
Taylor waved the contest off on Saturday night after Hadribeaj had risen from a knockdown at the count of nine in the 12th round. The Nevada State Athletic Commission recorded the official time as 2:59. The bell had in fact sounded before Fundora's punch landed, but commission rules require the time to be recorded one second short of the full round.
The decision drew criticism from many who felt Hadribeaj, having lasted almost the entire fight, should have been allowed to hear the final bell. It did not change the result. Fundora was making the fourth defence of his title, against his mandatory challenger, and led 107-100, 109-98 and 108-99 on the three scorecards.
Lewkowicz said a fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round, including the 12th. He argued that if Taylor judged Hadribeaj unfit to continue, and would have stopped the fight at any other point, then not stopping it would have let Hadribeaj be saved by the bell, whatever the clock showed. He said: “That was the right thing to do for a fighter who is not in shape to keep fighting.” He added: “If Thomas Taylor hadn’t waved it off, he would have been robbing Sebastian Fundora of a knockout he earned in the ring.” Lewkowicz also pointed to Hadribeaj's condition after the fight. He said the challenger was taken to hospital on a stretcher and released the following morning, and that safety must come before everything else in boxing.
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