Boxing referee Tony Weeks under fire (again) for head-scratching stoppage in Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Fredrick Lawson fight

By Fernando Quiles - January 7, 2024

Tony Weeks was once a renowned referee in the world of boxing, but following two recent blunders many have been calling for him to retire.

Tony Weeks Boxing Referee Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Fredrick Lawson

Weeks was on duty for the significant return of an emerging young boxer. Vergil Ortiz Jr. had been out of action since August 2022. The promising undefeated fighter dealt with nasty COVID-19 bouts, as well as rhabdomyolysis, which led to his inactivity. Ortiz didn’t get much time to reacclimate himself to actual competition when he faced Fredrick Lawson on January 6, and while his handiwork played a role, it was Weeks who expedited the process, and most believe he had no business stopping the fight when he did.

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Tony Weeks Slammed For Yet Another Egregious Stoppage

Ortiz was pushing the pace in his bout with Lawson, as most expected. He had his opponent backing against the ropes, but Lawson was blocking, ducking, and looking to see if he could land something that would put a halt to Ortiz’s pressure. Weeks saw things quite differently, as he felt Ortiz was doing enough to warrant a stoppage.

Take a look at the fight ending:

What are we doing here?

This isn’t even the first time within the span of a year where Weeks has found himself at the center of controversy. He also had a real doozy officiating a title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso back in May 2023. Barroso had dropped Rolly in the fight and was winning on all three judges’ scorecards before Weeks decided to stop the fight in the middle of an exchange in round nine, awarding Rolly the egregious TKO win.

Here’s how that stoppage looked:

Boxing fans and pundits are getting tired of Tony Weeks, and they have spoken out. It’s clear what the general consensus is on how this should be handled.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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