The promoters for Joseph Parker are considering an appeal of the New Zealand heavyweight boxer's loss to British counterpart Dillian Whyte.
Joseph Parker hits the canvas against Dillian Whyte. Photo: Photosport
In what was his second straight defeat, Parker suffered a unanimous points decision loss to Whyte in London last weekend.
However, referee Ian John Lewis did not see the head clash which put Parker down in the second round. The scorecards show the fight would have almost certainly ended in a draw.
Parker had dominated the round until the incident and would have likely won it 10-9, but because the incident was scored as a knockdown he lost it 8-10 with all three judges.
The scorecards read 113-112, 114-111 and 115-110, all for the Englishman, meaning a three-point swing for the judging trio would have had the contest ending in a stalemate.
"It's clear that the clash of heads in the second round had a significant impact on the fight - both in terms of the scorecards and Joseph's performance in the middle rounds," Duco Boxing said in a statement on Thursday.
"In light of what is clear evidence of a significant error by the officials, there is a legitimate question as to whether the result should stand.
"That's a question Duco will be asking the sanctioning bodies on Joseph's behalf."
Confirmation of a potential appeal also reflected the statements Parker's trainer Kevin Barry made immediately after the fight.
"It was a round we were winning, it's was a 10-9 round and it went from being a 10-9 round to us to a 10-8 round to Dillian," Barry said.
"When you talk about that head butt, I think the effects of that head butt were suffered in rounds three and four, Joe just wasn't himself.
"It wasn't until the fifth round I believe he actually had everything going again.
"He was a little dazed from that and shocked when he came back to the corner."
Duco's position is almost certainly influenced by the impact the result has had on Parker's career.
With victory, Whyte has moved him firmly into contention for a shot at a world title and a potential rematch with the superstar of the heavyweight division, his countryman Anthony Joshua.
Former WBO champion Parker, on the other hand, is set to slip down the rankings and has been left facing a significant rebuilding phase in his career.
- RNZ
