“This Sh*t Is Giving Me Canelo vs GGG Vibes”- Referee Choice for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk Has Fans Up in Arms

The biggest stage is set and Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are ready to enter the squared circle at the Kingdon Arena on May 18. But they will not be the only men inside the ring, as Mark Nelson will also join them as the official referee for the fight. However, despite officiating close to 1000 fights and over 100 title fights, the fans don’t have confidence in him because of a 2017 blunder.

With both ‘The Gypsy King’ and ‘The Cat’ coming into the fight with different game plans, a lot will depend on how Nelson sees the action up close. Whether the American referee will allow dirty fighting and clinching or whether he will prefer cleaner action might dictate the pace of the fight. However, this will be his first time trying to reign in two heavyweights with such a high-stakes fight.

Mark Nelson: Incredible resume with the ghosts of a 2017 fight

Nelson, who has over 3 decades of experience, will take charge of his 996th bout. He oversaw Jeff Horn‘s jaw-dropping upset of Manny Pacquiao in 2017, which many believed was a horrendous result. Many continue to debate how Horn didn’t face any consequences for his dirty boxing, headbutts, and elbow strikes.

Many fighters have feared a similar result and expressed their displeasure at the Minnesota native’s appointment as a referee. Tim Tszyu‘s team did the same when they were slated to face Brian Mendoza last year.  But Nelson has established himself as a world-class referee since then and has carved out a name for himself officiating smaller weight division title fights.

Fury vs. Usyk will be Nelson’s fourth title fight of 2024, as he previously witnessed Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Reiya Abe, Takuma Inoue vs. Jerwin Ancajas, and Jason Moloney vs. Saul Sanchez. However, some fans failed to bank their faith in him as they flooded the comments section after Rick Glaser made the revelation about Nelson’s appointment.

Boxing fans shun the appointment for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk

One fan declared that Mark Nelson had a bias for favoring the A-side and pointed out his infamous bout of Pacquiao vs. Horn. They wrote, “Same mark nelson that allowed Jeff horn to wrestle and head butt Pacquiao for 12 Rounds he’s a referee that heavily favours the A-side.”

A user disagreed with putting Thomas Taylor and Nelson in the same bracket. They believed Harvey Dock held the laurel of the best referee, but his calls of Devin Haney‘s knockouts as slippage had dented his image. Further, the fan believed Nelson would do “an ok job.”

But a comment alluded to the first Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin clash in 2017, which had a surprising result and was later criticized for bad officiating. The comment read, “This sh*t is giving me Canelo vs GGG vibes.”

Someone theorized that if the fight went to the distance, Fury might get his hand raised so that matchmakers could set up Fury vs. Anthony Joshua. ‘AJ’ is next in line to challenge for the titles given his recent career revival. They replied, “If its close, it will go to Fury They keep hyping up Joshua v Fury and everybody wants that fight.”

Another fan lauded Nelson’s resume but also recalled Nelson’s another bad night in the office when he stood in the ring as the third man along with Shakur Stevenson and Jamel Herring in 2021. While Stevenson won the fight, there were calls for faulty judgments and claims of low blows. They responded, “Mark Nelson has a good track record. His only questionable fight was Shakur vs Herring. His refereeing during the breaks was odd in that one. Low blows too.”

Lastly, a comment specified that it would be judges who might create controversy, not Nelson. They remarked, “The referee won’t be the issue. It’ll be the judges that create controversy by gifting Fury a points win.”

It remains to be seen how Mark Nelson’s officiating will impact the fight. What do you make of the appointment of Mark Nelson for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk? Do you agree with the choice? Let us know in the comments below.