With all the recent drama in his career, Oscar Duarte should be forgiven for the mishap that occurred in the fight against Angel Fierro. Yet, fans seem to disagree.
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Footage of their bout, on the main card of the event headlined by David Benavidez vs. Gilberto Ramirez, has gained considerable attention. In particular, the events from the 4th round drew a wave of reactions, especially when the referee joined Fierro as he touched the canvas.
“Bro, how did the ref fall? 😭” wrote well-known sports broadcaster Ben Davies. He was reacting to a post from Dan The Boxing Man. It featured a clip from the fight when Duarte knocked down Fierro.
With the bell ringing, Duarte planted a solid right hook on Fierro’s face after a short left, sending him backward toward the ropes.
As the round came to a close, referee Mark Nelson stepped in while Duarte was still throwing shots. In doing so, however, he appeared to lose his balance.
Bro how did the ref fall 😭
‼️OSCAR DUARTE KNCOKED DOWN THE REF & ANGEL FIERRO‼️ 🤣🤣🤣 #Boxing 💀💀🥊🥊🥊🥊 pic.x.com/4O9pE7kgAf
In a moment that caught many off guard, as Fierro touched the canvas, Nelson also went down a short distance away.
“And at the bell, both the referee and Fierro go down,” the commentator shouted as the sequence turned chaotic in the ring. “Two for the price of one.”
The ending of the fight itself was dramatic. After a closely contested bout between the two tough fighters, the result went in Duarte’s favor. With two judges scoring 115-113 and 116-112 for Duarte, one had it 116-112 for Fierro.
As it turned out, the crowd seemed to agree with that lone dissenting judge. When Duarte was announced as the winner, loud boos greeted him instead of cheers.
Online, the reaction followed the same energy, with fans focusing heavily on the referee incident.
Fans stunned as referee goes down in Duarte vs. Fierro fight
Responding to Ben Davies’ tweet, one wrote, “Because he’s old.” That is a subjective take, but given the way Nelson tumbled, even a younger referee may have struggled to stay on his feet from that angle.
Others leaned into the moment itself. One fan echoed the commentary, writing, “Two for the price of one, Oscar Duarte’s hammer fists ain’t to be played with.” While Duarte played little role in Nelson’s fall, the idea that his punches could cause such damage highlights his power.
Another focused on the timing, posting, “way after the bell.” That point holds some weight. The knockdown occurred as the bell rang, and Nelson responded by warning Duarte and ruling it a ‘no-knockdown.’
There was no shortage of humor either. One user pointed at the way referee Nelson fell. “Trip over down boxer,” they remarked. Another added, “Elite Unc energy.” Still, Fierro and the referee were not in close proximity when they went down. Moreover, Fierro hit the canvas after Duarte’s right hand landed cleanly.
One user, however, pointed to broader implications of Duarte’s power-heavy showing. Referencing the recent controversy surrounding a potential matchup between Duarte and former light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins, they wrote, “Hitchins is scared.”
Hitchins has already responded. Unimpressed with Duarte’s performance, the former titlist stated he would have taken the Mexican to the cleaners had they fought.
Looking back at the referee incident, it appears to have been purely accidental. Duarte continued despite Fierro entering the fight over 3 pounds heavier. While he received an additional $40K from Fierro’s purse, Duarte deserves recognition for staying composed despite circumstances that may have delayed his title opportunity.
