Intentional or accidental?
Undefeated light-heavyweights Isiah Thomas (15-0, 6 KO’s) and Murat Gassiev (22-0, 16 KO’s) battled to a three-round no-contest in their IBF World cruiserweight title eliminator on December 18.
Thomas dictated the pace for a majority of the three rounds with his jab, but was hit with a hard right hand after the bell.
Gassiev nailed Thomas with two punches, although the first shot was right at the bell, and delivered another big right hand immediately following.
According to sources reporting exclusively to Behind The Gloves, referee Jay Nady told the Thomas camp that the blow was an intentional one.
However, the IBF and the promoters involved in the bout coerced the Nevada State Athletic Commission to call the punch after the bell accidental rather than intentional.
Boxing is an extremely fast-paced sport and fighters are taught to follow through with their punches.
For example, in the October fight between Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux, the Kazakh forced Lemieux to take a knee with a body shot in the fifth.
Realizing his opponent was hurt, Golovkin set up the right hand just as Lemieux took the knee, and he blasted him while he was down.
However, in the case of Gassiev, when the bell initially rung, his hands were still up near his face.
Nady had to jump in between both fighters to prevent any further punches from being thrown.
Perhaps Gassiev was trying to be shrewd to sneak in an extra shot, but in the end, the bout ended in such an ungratifying way that no fighter or fan wants to be a part of.
Was the shot intentional? You are the judges.
– Ryan O’Hara @OHaraSports
Leave a Reply