Ferlin Marsh, the president of the World Boxing Association (WBA) Oceania, has confirmed that they are in the process of reviewing video footage from the recent fight between New Zealand’s John Parker and Fiji’s Alivereti Kauyaca, which took place in Hamilton last week.
In an email response to RNZ Pacific, Marsh stated that he has enlisted the help of four international boxing judges to analyze the footage and provide their assessments. This review follows a complaint from Farmaan Ali, Kauyaca’s trainer and manager, who has called for the fight to be declared a ‘no contest’ and is demanding a rematch after Parker’s split-point win was awarded to him.
During the match, two judges scored the bout in favor of Parker, granting him the WBA Oceania cruiserweight title, while one judge sided with Kauyaca.
Marsh acknowledged receipt of Ali’s complaint regarding the outcome of the fight held last Saturday at the Glowbox Arena in Hamilton. He emphasized that the WBA Oceania does not take allegations of being “robbed” lightly in their title fights, which is why he requested a copy of the fight from Ali for review.
After reviewing the fight himself, Marsh promptly sought the opinions of four additional international judges, noting that one has already responded with their score while the others have until the end of the week to submit theirs.
He explained that boxing often leads to contentious outcomes, as close fights can upset fans and fighters alike. “Unless there is a clear knockout, invariably someone will not be happy with their fighter losing,” Marsh remarked.
Ali criticized the decision of judges Arden Fatu and Joshua Niyka, claiming it was a biased ‘hometown decision’ against Kauyaca and expressed confusion over the officiating in general.
As of now, Parker’s team has not responded to inquiries regarding the situation.