Haumono camp ponders legal action
Solomon Haumono’s management are pressing on with their protest over Joseph Parker’s knockout victory, vowing they will take legal action if the fight’s sanctioning body does not declare the bout a no contest and enforce a rematch.
Haumono’s manager Matt Rose also disputed promoter Dean Lonergan’s claims the fight was called off before his fighter sustained serious damage as tension mounted in the aftermath of Parker stretching his unbeaten heavyweight record to 20-0 via his 17th triumph celebrated inside the distance.
Rose said he had supplied the World Boxing Organisation [WBO] with video footage proving that veteran New Zealand referee Bruce Mctavish did not complete a 10-count before adjudicating Haumono was not back to his feet in time for the fight to continue.
Haumono was floored by an uppercut in the fourth of 12 scheduled rounds in Christchurch on Thursday night but after the fight the 40-year-old former league star claimed he had been ‘‘robbed of an opportunity’’ to potentially replace the Kiwi as the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua’s IBF title.
Lonergan described attempts to overturn the outcome as ‘‘a complete joke’’, adding there was ‘‘zero chance’’ of a rematch.
‘‘Had we lost fair and square we’d say ‘thank you and good luck’. We just want to be treated with fairness in this situation.’’ Matt Rose, manager of Solomon Haumono
‘‘If Joseph Parker had 10 more seconds with him, Haumono was defenceless and would have been knocked flat on his back and carried off on a stretcher,’’ he said.
‘‘The guy was totally dominated. I think you’ll find the management are a lot keener [for a rematch] than the fighter because they don’t have to get in the ring and get belted by Joseph.’’
However, Rose was adamant Haumono was short-changed by Mctavish, who was ironically criticised for allowing David Tua’s obliteration of Shane Cameron in 2009 to extend in the second round.
‘‘How do you say he’s been stopped from a beating? Solomon was still coming forward.
‘‘We want the fight to be declared a no contest and there has to be a rematch otherwise we’ll go to court,’’ said Rose.
‘‘It was a beautiful punch by Joseph but Sol was definitely ready to continue. We were told it was a 10 count which we disputed at the time. There’s now footage that’s come out that supports our claim,’’ said Rose.
Rose a protest would also be lodged with the World Boxing Council, the organisation which appointed 76-year-old Mctavish to control the fight.
‘‘Had we lost fair and square we’d say ‘thank you and good luck’. We just want to be treated with fairness in this situation.
‘‘If this had happened to Joseph, Dean Lonergan would be ringing me up all night trying to work out when we could fight in the next five weeks.’’
Mctavish said he was told after the fight he had only waited eight seconds before ending the fight, but he insisted he counted ‘10’ and Haumono was still kneeling. ‘‘I’ve got notoriety now for cheating. I don’t cheat, no need to,’’ he said.
Brisbane-based WBO supervisor and executive director for the Asia-pacific region Danny Leigh confirmed headquarters in Puerto Rico would assess Rose’s concerns.
Leigh watched the fight yesterday and doubted the protest would be upheld. ‘‘I don’t think it’s that controversial because the fight was flowing in a direction [favouring Parker],’’ he said.