The judges’ controversial decision to hand Josh Taylor victory over Jack Catterall has officially been reported to the police.
Taylor defeated Catterall by split decision which generated huge uproar from experts and fans of the sport who claimed that the result was a “robbery”.
Catterall was dejected after the final bell and left the ring in disgust after believing he should have had his arm raised.
And now the Leader of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle – who is also Catterall’s local MP in Chorley – believes that there may have been an “undue influence” on the outcome of the undisputed clash.
“I have to question why the judges got it so wrong? I have already sent a letter to the police,” Hoyle told the Daily Mail.
“I have spoken to Nadine Dorries, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Minister for Sport, Nigel Huddleston – they are both looking into this.
“What is the point of training hard and playing by the rules, when something like this can happen?”
Hoyle has also confirmed he would like to see the final result subject to “review by independent judges” which he believes would then allow for a “decision to be changed retrospectively”.
The Chorley MP has also written to the British Boxing Board of Control and Dame Cressida Dick to clarify the situation and voice his displeasure.
It seems unlikely that outgoing Scotland Yard chief Dick will be able to have any impact on the decision given the event took place on Taylor’s home patch Glasgow.
The BBBofC have confirmed that they are actively investigating the judges scorecards on the night, with the judges set to file reports and attend hearings related to their scorecards.
The Board’s General Secretary Robert Smith later issued his verdict on the event, and told the Daily Telegraph : “We will be looking into it. There were some very close rounds, it was a very close, very scrappy fight, and I have asked for reports from the judges which we will be studying this week.
“Our judges are honest people, and scored it as they saw it. I was there, and I thought Catterall pipped it.”
Credit: Irish Times
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