Matt Macklin backs referee’s controversial call during Usyk-Fury

SKY SPORTS BOXING analyst Matthew Macklin agrees that Tyson Fury should have been allowed to continue after the drama of round nine on Saturday night.

The monumental heavyweight clash for all the marbles in Riyadh between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk featured shifts in momentum between the two but a pivotal moment occurred in the ninth frame.

Usyk’s left hand – as it had throughout – connected and had Fury in a world of trouble. Under an onslaught of shots the giant Brit looked like he was on his way down but was saved by the ropes and ring-post in Usyk’s corner. At that moment referee Mark Nelson intervened and issued a count.

Macklin, a former middleweight world title challenger, agreed with Nelson’s decision to give Fury the chance to carry on in the biggest heavyweight fight in a quarter century. Afterwards Boxing News asked Macklin if referee Nelson should have stopped the bout during that moment in the ninth.

“No, no way,” he answered.

“This is the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world, you got to give the benefit. Yeah, he was out on his feet, but he was okay. He was moving and trying to avoid shots.

“He might have been better off going down. If he had gone down earlier and took the count, he might not have got hit with as many big shots, but only because he was trying to move out of the way of the punches. His legs weren’t there, he was getting caught with a lot of shots.

“The ref was right to give it a 10-8 because the ropes kept him up. He did the right thing. Then in the next round he just moved, got through the round and got his feet back under him.”

Meanwhile, former two-weight world champion David Haye disagreed with the referee’s call. Read what ‘The Hayemaker’ had to say here.