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Eddie Hearn Says Boxing Judge Should Be 'Immediately Removed' For What He Was Caught Doing During Fight

Eddie Hearn Says Boxing Judge Should Be 'Immediately Removed' For What He Was Caught Doing During Fight

Hearn reacted angrily on social media.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

Eddie Hearn believes the British Boxing Board of Control should "immediately remove" Terry O'Connor as a judge if he was actually on his phone during Lewis Ritson vs. Miguel Vasquez.

Ritson claimed a controversial split-decision points win over Vasquez at Matchroom Boxing's show on Saturday.

O'Connor inexplicably scored the contest 117-111 in favour of the British fighter.

But his actions during the main-event clash proved to be even more damning than his score-card.

He appeared to be on his phone midway through a round as Ritson and Vasquez were trading blows.

Image: Sky Sports
Image: Sky Sports

Promoter Hearn reacted angrily on social media, suggesting the BBBofC should take swift action against the veteran official.

On Twitter, he wrote: "If that's a phone (and I presume it is) then then BBBofC should immediately remove him."

Speaking to iFLTV, he added: "117-111 to Ritson was a disgrace of a card. And it's terrible for the sport.

"People have gotta be accountable for bad decisions. If you're in a job and you don't perform well, then you've gotta face the consequences."

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman called the situation "extremely troubling."

Boxing trainer and manager Dave Coldwell also slammed O'Connor on social media.

"I've always said judges should be asked to explain how they come to their decision when it's controversial & seemingly wide of the mark. Not sure swiping left counts as a good reason for screwing fighters careers over though?" He wrote.

Joe Joyce's manager Sam Jones pulled no punches too.

"I promise that's the worst decision I've ever seen in boxing," he exclaimed on Twitter.

Ritson, who improved his professional record to 21-1, said he landed the clearer shots and agrees with the decision

"I think I was getting the clearer shots," he told Sky Sports. "I was confident that I won the fight."

Featured Image Credit: PA/Sky Sports

Topics: Boxing News, Boxing, Eddie Hearn, Fight News