The World Boxing Association (WBA) Oceania president, Ferlin Marsh, has announced that they are currently examining 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 noted that he has enlisted the help of four international boxing judges to review the footage and provide their assessments, following a complaint submitted by Kauyaca’s trainer and manager, Farmaan Ali.
Ali has formally requested a declaration of ‘no contest’ and a rematch for his fighter, contesting the split decision that awarded Parker the victory. Two judges scored the bout in favor of Parker, granting him the WBA Oceania cruiserweight title, while one judge favored 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.
“I acted on the complaint immediately after reviewing the fight. WBA Oceania takes exception to the term ‘robbed’ being used in any of our title fights, which is why I asked Mr. Ali to provide a copy of the match.”
Marsh added that he has already reviewed the fight and has instructed the additional four international boxing judges to submit their scores. As of now, one judge has already responded, while the others have until the end of the week to provide their evaluations.
Marsh acknowledged that boxing is a contentious sport and that close fights often leave someone dissatisfied. He remarked, “Unless there is a clear knockout (KO), inevitably someone will not be pleased with the outcome.”
Ali contends that the two judges who favored Parker—Arden Fatu and Joshua Niyka—made a ‘hometown decision’ against Kauyaca. He referred to the decision as “totally” biased and expressed confusion over the results.
He also questioned the WBA’s choice to appoint these judges for the fight.
As of now, John Parker’s team has not responded to inquiries regarding the match.