A Hall of Fame promoter revealed his disgust as fans urged boxing authorities to step in following a body blow for Rasheed Idowu.
Fighting in Ghana against home fighter Bastie Samir, Idowu suffered one of the worst injustices in recent memory. It was so blatant that Lou DiBella added it to his collection of X comments against worldwide disasters in the boxing ring.
Idowu got robbed of the vacant Universal Boxing Organization African light heavyweight title despite legally beating Samir from pillar to post. The unnamed referee repeatedly warned Idowu for no reason whatsoever. Seeing that Samir was tired, the official stepped in more than once to save the Ghanaian from more punishment. On one occasion, he even deducted a point for non-existent fouling.
However, despite the interventions, Samir was almost out on his feet. Idowu then launched another barrage of clean punches, the last of which knocked his opponent out cold. Instead of awarding the Nigerian the deserved victory for his KO exploits, the referee called a draw for a stunned Idowu and his opponent lying prone on the canvas.
Unreal.
More on the Idowu vs Samir 'heist' on WBN.
pic.twitter.com/88e3BRKmki— World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) April 18, 2024
It was an unfathomable display by those in charge of proceedings at Decathlon Ghana in Kawukudi, Accra. One that sanctioning bodies should look at with scrutiny and which DiBella was at a loss to believe.
“The wanton, desperado nature of boxing is worldwide,” said DiBella. “Check out this African heist. The referee’s bias was obvious throughout this clip. Now, please try to explain away this decision!”
The original post that DiBella responded to with comments came from an X user [@UchePOkoye] who agreed with DiBella’s heist sentiments. He also added that a higher organization like the World Boxing Organization needs to investigate.
“This should be one of the biggest heists in boxing history,” he stated. Rasheed Idowu, the Nigerian boxer in white shorts, knocked out his Ghanaian opponent, Bastie Samir, for the UBO Africa title in Accra, Ghana.
“They robbed him! The WBO should look into this,” added Uche.
Protests began immediately upon realizing what was taking place. The ring announcer confirmed Samir didn’t lose without fully waking up from his enforced sleep.
Idowu was videoed after the fight in the parking lot, clearly aggrieved at what transpired. His team should appeal the result, which occurred on April 13.
Read all articles and learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor Phil Jay. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
