The exhibition bout between Floyd Mayweather and Deji has stirred a lot of controversy among fans. The first bit of drama occurred after Love Island star turned-boxer Tommy Fury missed weight by over 6 pounds for his bout against Paul Bamba. This put the fight in jeopardy of getting canceled which was saved after Rolly Lambert stepped in as a replacement.
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Moreover, it seems like the problems for this event continue as the prelim bouts had their own share of controversy. In the first bout, former professional wrestler turned boxer Bobby Fish defeated Boateng Prempeh via KO at 1:02. However, this came after Bobby picked up Prempeh in the middle of their match, which is an illegal move in boxing.
Following this, the second fight between Delfine Persoon vs Ikram Kerwat was declared a no-contest after Persoon punched Kerwat while she was down.
#GlobalTitans Official Decision:@theBobbyFish def. Boateng Prempeh via KO at 1:02 of round 2!
🥊 #MayweatherDeji
🏟 Coca-Cola Arena
🇦🇪 Dubai, UAE
⏰ 10:00 PM LOCAL TIME
🎟 Tickets On Sale NOW!
📺 LIVE ON PPV pic.twitter.com/JIZsSWbN8V— Global Titans Fight Series (@GlobalTitansFS) November 13, 2022
Both of these infarctions are not legal in boxing which caused an uproar among fans who were not shy to react to the controversial fights.
Fans react to illegal moves in the prelim fights on Floyd Mayweather vs Deji
One fan claimed that the first fight looked staged.
Ngl this fight looked so staged
— Chris Jones (@ChrisJo29872539) November 13, 2022
Another fan hilariously brought up Fish’s past stating that he might have remembered his wrestling days.
bro thinks hes wrestling
— Øscar Mccluskey (@MccluskeyScar) November 13, 2022
Moreover, one fan claimed that Fish should have stuck with wrestling and that he was now in the wrong sport.
He's stuck in the wrong sport 😭
— Blaze (BDB818) (@RealBDB818) November 13, 2022
Another fan wondered why Persoon punched Kerwat when she almost knocked her out cold.
knocked her out cold, why did she go for the shot on the ground? very weird
— charlie (@charliesmith_dc) November 13, 2022
One fan wondered how fighters cannot know the rules of the sport despite competing in it for so long.
How can you have 50 fights and still not know that you can’t punch people when they’re on the ground?
— Sarcasm Merchant (@majorsads) November 13, 2022
Moreover, one fan claimed that Persoon should have been disqualified for her actions.
should be a DQ
— maddison (@maddsneveragain) November 13, 2022
Lastly, one fan disagreed with the bout being deemed as a no-contest. According to him Persoon should have won the bout as she clearly knocked her out before she went down.
No contest??? She clearly won. The blow after Kerwat went down had absolutely no impact. We saw other more severe problems in boxing. Is she stolen again? She deserves a world fight against Baumgartner or Katie Taylor, because she is clearly the best one in the world.
— Karel Declercq (@KarelDeclercq) November 13, 2022
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The fans were stunned at the controversial decisions that occurred in the first two prelim bouts. Moreover, this could give us an insight into how the event will move further as the whole weekend in Dubai has been a rollercoaster ride for the fans as well as the fighters.
What did you think about the controversies occurring in the first two prelim bouts? Let us know in the comments.
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