WBA interim title bout shrouded in controversy, protest filed
It’s nice to know boxing remains an honest sport.
After a severely contested bout for the WBA interim middleweight title between WBA No.1 rated Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (25-0, 17 KOs) and No.2 rated Avtandil Khurtsidze that saw N’Jikam squeeze by with a win, boxingscene.com reports that team Khurtsidze has
protested the decision with an official report.
Team Khurtsidze, promoted by Elite Boxing Promotions, contends a variety of violations occurred for the fight, the biggest of which was a failure to carry out a drug test for banned substances that is mandated by the WBA.
The file of protest, composed by Elite Boxing Promotions, reads: “Due to a highly controversial nature of the final decision and a missed drug test, which has never been performed, Team Khurtsidze will appeal to the WBA for a cancellation of the result and
an immediate rematch between two respected contenders.”
Others such as Khurtsidze’s former promoter Vadim Bukhkalov was also deeply distressed with the decision of the fight, claiming that while the ring action itself was “marvelous,” Khurtsidze was “robbed in this fight big time,” and that the decision is “another
black eye” to professional boxing.
Bukhkalov took issue especially with judge Mikael Hook’s scorecard, which tabulated the fight at 117-111 in favour of N’Jikam. The promoter said N’Jikam won five rounds at most, and that such a ruling on the part of a judge showed a “complete lack” of restraint
and was a disgrace to professional boxing.
“People kept coming afterwards praising our effort and saying 'Avto' was the real winner. Fans’ reaction, when they booed the outcome, tells it all,” Bukhkalov said.
The controversial decision comes just after a flurry of controversy sifted through WBA halls in regards to the current WBA “regular” middleweight champion. Originally the bout between N’Jikam and Khurtsidze was to be for the “regular” title as opposed to
the interim belt, but the ruling was contested by interim-champion at the time, Gennady Golovkin.
Golovkin was subsequently confirmed “regular” champion by the WBA.
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