{"id":109290,"date":"2025-09-02T14:22:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/109290\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T14:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:22:11","slug":"referee-questions-tony-fergusons-first-win-in-six-years-by-raising-issue-that-many-fans-overlooked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/109290\/","title":{"rendered":"Referee questions Tony Ferguson’s first win in six years by raising issue that many fans overlooked"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tony Ferguson got back in the win column on Friday night following the most difficult run of his career.<\/p>\n

\u2018El Cucuy\u2019 looked to turn over a new leaf after parting ways with the UFC<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Ferguson defeated Salt Papi at Misfits Boxing 22<\/a>, stopping him in the third round to win the promotion\u2019s interim middleweight title.<\/p>\n

The moment that the former UFC star got his hand raised was undoubtedly a cathartic moment for him and a lot of MMA fans after his eight-fight losing streak.<\/p>\n

Ferguson spoke about how he was able to finally snap this run<\/a>, though in the midst of all the emotions, there was one controversial aspect.<\/p>\n

\"TonyPhoto by Ben Roberts Photo\/Getty ImagesReferee admits that some of the officials questioned Tony Ferguson\u2019s stoppage win over Salt Papi<\/p>\n

While the fight was certainly competitive, it looked like Tony Ferguson<\/a> was starting to take over in the third round of his bout with Salt Papi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 41-year-old started to show signs of the \u2018El Cucuy\u2019 of old by relentlessly walking his opponent down and constantly throwing shots at him.<\/p>\n

When Ferguson put together a lengthy combination, the referee stepped in to wave the fight off, with a lot of fans being in agreement with his opponent that the stoppage came too quickly. <\/p>\n

A lot of people were happy to see the former UFC star get the win, so there wasn\u2019t much uproar in the aftermath of the fight even if the finish was very debatable.<\/p>\n

\"TonyPhoto by Ben Roberts Photo\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The former UFC star made the case after the fight that with two rounds still to go, he would\u2019ve produced the finish sooner or later anyway.<\/p>\n

Boxing referee Jack Goodwin recently chimed in on the reaction to the stoppage when replying to a post on social media.<\/p>\n

Goodwin wasn\u2019t the official for Ferguson\u2019s Misfits Boxing<\/a> debut, though he was working at the event, having been a part of several of the promotion\u2019s cards in the past.<\/p>\n

After the fight\u2019s early stoppage was raised, Goodwin responded, suggesting that it wasn\u2019t just the fans who felt like the referee had jumped in prematurely.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the other officials thought it was a bit premature too!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u203c\ufe0f Referee Jack Goodwin reveals that some officials considered Tony Ferguson\u2019s TKO against Salt Papi to be a bit premature too \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

[Via \u2013 Regimental Ref on TT] pic.twitter.com\/QA2fOJlcuS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 IFN (@IfnBoxing) September 1, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

View Tweet<\/p>\n

Tony Ferguson\u2019s stoppage wasn\u2019t the only controversial refereeing decision at Misfits Boxing 22<\/p>\n

The stoppage in Tony Ferguson\u2019s fight wasn\u2019t the only action from a referee that earned a strong reaction from the fans on Friday night.<\/p>\n

There were several strange moments during the main event, where Darren Till knocked out Luke Rockhold<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not only did the referee not spot Rockhold\u2019s<\/a> knee touching the mat in the second round, he bizarrely started to count after the former UFC champion was devastatingly knocked out, as KSI<\/a> pointed out on commentary.<\/p>\n

The excitement of the two big wins in Manchester seemed to cover over these potential mistakes that may or may not have impacted the overall results.<\/p>\n