On October 19th, the world witnessed a gruesome yet exhilarating fight when Australia’s Cesar Mateo Tapia took on Venezuela’s Endry Saavedra. The middleweight bout was part of the first non-PPV card of the Premier Boxing Champions’ broadcast deal with Amazon Prime. It was an inspiring and scary fight where Tapia managed to edge out a draw even after getting knocked down three times, with two in the third round and once in the ninth round.

The duo received a standing ovation at the end of the exciting bout. However, despite the gritty performance, the fight left a sour taste for the crowd as neither won the fight with the judges scoring it 94-92,93-93 and 93-93. Almost everyone present at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida expected Saavedra to win the fight, but the result stated otherwise. While the two fighters went home as champions, their faces showed the brutality that was evident in the fight. Especially for Mateo Tapia when an Australian journalist shared a picture of Tapia’s face after the fight.

Mateo Tapia took it like a champ

Ben Damon took to his ‘X’ to share a picture of the aftermath of the match, which showed a cut under the left eye of Tapia, resulting in the eye being swollen shut. The caption by Damon read, “Mateo Tapia’s face tells the story of a brutal night in Orlando,” implying the brutal nature of the fight and how both fighters gave their all.

According to the No Limit promoter Matt Rose, the cut happened during a headbutt between both boxers. He stated, “I also felt the head clash in two, round three.” The headbutt caused an increased swelling around El Tijuanero’s eye and even impacted the fight to a certain extent. “I thought that was a bit of a turning point as it affected Mateo,” added Rose.

While the 26-year-old’s face was all bruised up, Saavedra also faced a barrage of brutal attacks from the 17-0 boxer. In the fifth round, the Venezuelan boxer was also knocked down when a powerful right hook connected on Endry Saavedra’s chin. However, the 33-year-old managed to get up before the count ran out. As Rose stated, “It’s a fight they will be talking about for the rest of the year.” And after seeing Tapia’s face, it will be even harder for the fans to forget the fight. Fans quickly took to the comment section to add their thoughts on the terrible looking image shared by Ben Damon.

It’s the name of the game

One fan wrote, “Brutal sport is the fight game🥊,” acknowledging the brutal nature of the game and how dangerous it can be. Fans will remember the gutsy performance given by both fighters for a long time. Even after getting knocked down multiple times, both of them kept on fighting.

Another fan wrote, “Yep, all goes back to not stopping in r4 v Fund,” while talking about the injury. In all likelihood, the fan was talking about the cut suffered by Tim Tszyu on his head in the 2nd round of his fight with Fundora in March this year. Despite knowing well enough at the end of round 3 that the cut was too deep for the bleeding to stop, Tim Tszyu chose to continue with the fight. Something similar was evident in yesterday’s Tapia vs Saavedra fight, where neither fighter was ready to concede a defeat.

Another fan criticized the No Limit Boxing and the way they handled this fight. He wrote, “No Limit Boxing – what a debacle. All about the money. Finished.” Not only was he unsatisfied with the result, but also with the way they handled Tapia’s fight, despite his cut. He shared the same opinion that the fight should have been stopped once it entered the extremely dangerous territory.

Some fans were still unhappy with the result and they let Damon know about it. A fan dissatisfied with the result asked Damon about his opinion as he wrote, “How did you score this Ben?” He wanted to know whether the reporter also scored the fight in favor of Saavedra or if it was the other way around.

Another fan wrote, “I thought Tapia lost,” in complete disagreement with the judges’ decision. Matt Rose also voiced his opinion, stating that he had Saavedra as the winner, adding, “I thought that (third) knockdown got it for him.” 

While the result of this bout might have been something that very few fans agree with, the fight was something special. That is why it was amazing news when Rose revealed that talks were already underway for a rematch between the two. These fighters left everything in the ring and deserve another chance to showcase their merit.

What did you think about Mateo Tapia’s injury? Do you also think that Endry Saavedra deserved to win the fight? Let us know your thoughts down below.