Richardson Hitchins produced a career-best performance to topple IBF world super lightweight champion Liam Paro in what should have been a comprehensive unanimous decision victory.
The 27-year-old entered his first shot at world honors with a lack of experience at the elite level, cruising through the majority of his 18 professional wins.
But still, during last night’s showdown in Puerto Rico, Hitchins utilized his astute distance control and sharp jab to extend his unbeaten record.
In what was seemingly a clear victory for the American, though, fans were left stunned after one of the judges scored the fight 117-111 in favor of Paro.
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Judge Nelson Vazquez receives backlash for baffling scorecard
Before making the first defense of his title, Paro believed that Hitchins’ belligerent approach throughout the build-up was merely an attempt to hide his insecurities.
The 28-year-old had claimed his IBF strap with a dominant 12-round display against murderous puncher Subriel Matias, causing one of this year’s biggest upsets.
And so, the Australian headed into his dustup against Hitchins with ample confidence, insisting that he would be able to outman the somewhat unproven contender.
In actual fact, though, Hitchins proved to be a level above what most expected, outpointing Paro with a measured and controlled performance.
But perhaps the greatest talking point of the fight was Nelson Vazquez’s truly nonsensical scorecard, with the veteran judge now receiving a tonne of backlash from the boxing fraternity.
Sure enough, the DAZN commentary team were quick to pounce on the remarkable show of incompetence, with Sergio Mora suggesting that Vazquez should suffer financial ramifications.
“That was terrible. You’ve got to find that [judge] and fine him because that was terrible,” the former world champion said immediately after the fight.
Boxing fans slam scorecard following Richardson Hitchens’ victory over Liam Paro
Having judged over a thousand professional contests, one would suspect that Vazquez has, at the very least, an understanding of how to score a fight.
However, it appears that there is simply no justification for his disgraceful 117-111 scorecard, which ultimately took some of the light away from Hitchins’ incredible victory.
As expected, boxing fans have largely taken to social media to express their frustration with Vazquez’s shocking performance.
One fan said: “Not even a blind person would score that fight 117-111. Lifetime ban for that judge!”
Someone else said: “That 117-111 is NASTY WORK.”
Another fan added: “117-111 Paro ??? Yeah get that judge outta boxing.”