According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, The Maryland State Athletic Commission has upheld it’s ruling of an Andre Dirrell win over Jose Uzcategui in their controversial fight that resulted in a win for Dirrell via disqualification on May 20th.
“The Maryland State Athletic Commission conducted a hearing regarding a protest of the referee’s decision made in the May 20, 2017 world title match between boxers Andre Dirrell and Jose Uzcategui. After hearing expert testimony, the commission upheld the call of referee Bill Clancy,” commission spokeswoman Theresa M. Blaner said in a statement given to ESPN. “The commission’s written determination will be issued within the next month.”
Uzcategui, adviser Sean Gibbons, their attorney Daniel James and Hall of Fame referee Steve Smoger, serving as their expert witness, attended the hearing and were very disappointed in the outcome. Gibbons said they watched a replay with the commission, along with Clancy and Dirrell’s attorney, before the commission made its ruling to uphold Clancy’s call.
“Our position is that Mr. Clancy lost control of the situation,” Gibbons told ESPN. “He overrode the doctor to make the decision. He’s the sole arbiter, but one of the things Mr. Clancy did was when Mr. Dirrell was down on his knees he told him to get up. He said, ‘Are you OK?’ And Dirrell nodded yes. Then he went to the corner and screamed, ‘Get me a doctor’ while people outside the ring, including Mr. Dirrell’s brother, told him to fall over. One of our contentions was that as the doctor was entering the ring, Mr. Clancy said to him, ‘Tell me if Dirrell can continue.’ And 10 seconds into the doctor looking at Mr. Dirrell, Clancy yelled, ‘I’m disqualifying [Uzcategui]!’
“Throughout the whole testimony, Bill Clancy was very combative as he was in the ring that night to Uzcategui and it felt like he was under attack. We feel he misrepresented the facts.”
“Mr. Clancy was adamant that since Mr. Uzcategui had accidentally hit Dirrell after the bell after the second round that it was intentional at the end of the eighth round, and because he had already warned him, that’s why he disqualified him,” Gibbons said. “They didn’t buy that it was in the heat of battle. It was a three-punch combination as the bell was ringing and there was no way he can pull up at that point. But at no point was Uzcategui doing anything intentional, but Clancy kept going on that it was intentional.”
“The IBF has also determined that it was inappropriate for the referee to advise Dirrell of the decision of the bout prior to the official decision being announced. Based on the above … the IBF has ruled that the referee’s conduct was inappropriate and will grant an immediate rematch.”
“We came to the state of Maryland on May 20 to challenge for [an interim] world title, and Uzcategui got assaulted that night, and we came back for this hearing and we were assaulted again — by the commission, by Clancy, by the attorney general’s office and Dirrell’s attorney,” Gibbons said, noting that in around 300 amateur bouts and 28 pro fights Uzcategui had never had a point deducted for a foul. “They were all going after us for an unintentional foul. It felt like they showed up to go to war instead of having a nice civil hearing to show that Uzcategui never tried to do anything intentional.”
