Bob Arum claimed he was “disgusted” by the decision to call the fight between Andrew Moloney and Joshua Franco a no contest.
The decision from the referee meant that Franco retained his WBA super flyweight championship and completed the rematch obligation between the pair.
Franco had won their June bout via a unanimous decision, but at the weekend it appeared that the Australian was on top after impressing in the first two rounds.
Referee Russell Mora then made the call after a ringside doctor noted Franco’s swollen eye. Mora had ruled in the first round that the eye was initially injured by a headbutt.
However, Moloney disputed the decision, claiming there had been no contact between the pair’s heads.
“They took this away from me. The injury was caused by a punch. I can’t believe this. I was in control of the fight and on my way to a clear victory. I deserved this win. I landed 50 punches on that eye. It was not even close," Moloney said.
The 29-year-old Australian’s promoter, Top Rank chief Arum, was similarly angered by the result. He believes that the swelling of the eye was caused by a punch thrown by his boxer, which would have given Moloney the title.
After the Nevada State Athletic Commission reviewed the incident, they eventually backed Mora’s decision.
''They waited until the end of the fight and they kept with it to protect the referee who didn't know what the hell he was doing,'' Arum told Fighthype.com.
''I am absolutely disgusted ... I just want a fair adjudication, they made a mistake, the referee made a mistake. It's clear, it's not even close."