Referee accused of being a 'fraud' and 'ruining' Jake Paul and Tommy Fury fight

The referee of the Jake Paul and Tommy Fury grudge match has been accused of ‘ruining’ the fight.

Paul was handed his first professional defeat, losing on points to ex-Love Island winner Tommy Fury.

The two fought valiantly, although Fury was the clear winner and subsequently got his hand raised after eight rounds.

However, boxing enthusiasts weren’t impressed with the performance of one particular man in the ring - referee Hector Afu.

On multiple occasions, Afu was seen stopping the clock and deducting points from both fights for what should’ve been considered minor offences.

The referee copped the brunt of criticism online in the wake of the bout with some claiming Afu ‘wanted to make himself part of the fight’.

Legendary commentator Teddy Atlas led the flurry of criticism toward the former WBC Referee of the Year.

He simply asked: “Who hired this ref?”

Combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani wrote: “This ref is a fraud. He’s as legit as Bill Alfonso.”

Fellow reporter Michael Benson added: “Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury is supposed to be about Jake Paul and Tommy Fury, not the referee.”

Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury is supposed to be about Jake Paul and Tommy Fury, not the referee.

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 26, 2023

The Jake Paul/Tommy Fury referee is a legitimate disaster. I think he wants to be in the fight.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) February 26, 2023

The referee here is absolutely mental, Tommy Fury is pissing this fight, he’s winning easy. Jake Paul is gassed and looks dead on his feet but the referee here is just insane #PaulFury

— Josh Bunting (@Buntingfootball) February 26, 2023

This ref is a fraud. He’s as legit as Bill Alfonso.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 26, 2023

this ref needs to chill tf out.

— Mike Majlak (@mikemajlak) February 26, 2023

Even the Problem Child’s fierce online rival KSI agreed with the sentiment.

He tweeted: “Na this referee is ruining this fight.”

Na this referee is ruining this fight 😩

— ksi (@KSI) February 26, 2023

Ultimately Tommy Fury came out on top in what many agreed was a fair reflection of how the fight went.

However, In the wake of his defeat to Tommy Fury, Jake Paul rattled off a long list of excuses as to why he lost the bout.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer claimed he got 'sick' on two occasions during his training camp before adding that he also injured his arm.

But when boos started ringing out around Saudi Arabia's Diriyah Arena, he immediately back-pedalled and said they weren't excuses – even though they clearly were.

With a rematch clause for Paul in his contract don’t be surprised if these two run it back in the near future.