Ferlin Marsh, the president of the World Boxing Association (WBA) Oceania, has announced that they are currently reviewing video footage of the recent match between New Zealand’s John Parker and Fiji’s Alivereti Kauyaca, which took place in Hamilton last week.
In a response to RNZ Pacific via email, Marsh revealed that he has enlisted the help of four international boxing judges to evaluate the footage and provide their assessments following a complaint filed by Kauyaca’s trainer and manager, Farmaan Ali.
Ali has formally requested that the WBA Oceania declare a “no contest” for the bout and is asking for a rematch, disputing the split-decision victory awarded to Parker. Two judges favoured Parker, granting him the WBA Oceania cruiserweight title, while one judge scored the fight for Kauyaca.
“I have received the complaint from Mr. Ali regarding the decision in the fight between John Parker (NZ) and Alivereti Kauyaca (Fiji), which occurred last Saturday at the Glowbox Arena in Hamilton,” Marsh stated.
He emphasized that the WBA Oceania takes issue with the term “robbed” being used in reference to any of their title fights, which is why he requested a copy of the fight from Ali.
“After reviewing the fight last night, I took appropriate action by asking another four international boxing judges to assess the fight and provide me with their scores. One judge has already responded, and the others have until the end of the week to submit theirs,” Marsh added.
Marsh acknowledged that boxing is a contentious sport, and close matches often leave one party feeling dissatisfied. “Unless there is a clear knockout (KO), someone will always be unhappy with the outcome,” he noted.
Ali accused referees Arden Fatu and Joshua Niyka, who awarded the victory to Parker, of making a “hometown decision” against Kauyaca. He characterized the ruling as “totally” biased, expressing confusion over the judging decisions.
The WBA’s choice of judges for the fight has also been called into question by Ali. As of now, John Parker’s team has yet to respond to media inquiries.