Matt Rose Defends No Limit Boxing After Controversial Tszyu-Mahoney Draw

Matt Rose has moved to shore up No Limit Boxing’s reputation after the stormy aftermath of Nikita Tszyu’s controversial draw with Ben Mahoney, insisting his company should not be dragged into the judging row that has lit up Australian boxing.

The IBF super welterweight world-title eliminator in Brisbane was everything the sport craves – two unbeaten locals trading momentum, grit and heavy leather – and yet it ended with almost nobody satisfied.

Three judges. Three wildly different views.

Phillip Holliday, the former world champion who once beat Jeff Fenech, saw it 117-111 for Tszyu, handing the star attraction nine of the 12 rounds. Sabrina Kerr went the other way, 115-113 to Mahoney. The third judge, Carl Zappia, split the difference at 114-114.

A split draw on paper. A split arena in reality.

The largely pro-Mahoney crowd howled at the announcement, sensing their man had done enough after riding out Tszyu’s power in the middle rounds to finish the stronger of the two. Mahoney’s late surge left Tszyu’s face marked up and the atmosphere inside the venue raw.

Then the night really ignited.

In the ring, Tszyu stunned many by admitting Mahoney had been the better boxer. At the same time, No Limit boss George Rose bristled at comments from Mahoney’s corner and exploded, saying he wanted to “slap the s*** out of someone” and inviting anyone booing to meet him “out front” to sort it out.

By the time the fighters reached the press conference, Tszyu had walked back his in-ring verdict, explaining he was frustrated with his own performance rather than convinced he had lost. The damage, though, had been done. The debate was raging and the blame was already being assigned.

Mahoney’s promoter, Mick Francis, declared he would seek an official review of Holliday’s card, the 117-111 that had swung the result away from his fighter.

Mahoney, still unbeaten but with another bitter draw on a No Limit show, let his emotions spill.

“We're going to have to look at our [rematch] options; I'm open to it but it sure as hell isn't going to be on another No Limit card,” he said, careful not to directly attack the judges but clearly stung. “I don't want to throw any officials or judges under the bus. But athletes put their lives on the line for this. I just had a baby and have been in the gym for eight weeks of 14 weeks of her life.”

Francis, whose stable includes Jai Opetaia and Justis Huni and who has long been a rival to No Limit’s promotional dominance, promised the matter would not be quietly forgotten.

“Phil Holliday, I don't know what he was watching … those scores were way wide and I'm going to make an official inquiry about it because that's not right,” he said.

George Rose skipped the press conference, leaving his brother and No Limit co-founder Matt Rose, along with Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings, to sit beside their bruised but unbeaten headline act.

Matt Rose acknowledged there had been “a couple of comments made in the ring” that set George off, but he welcomed any formal look at the scoring, confident it would vindicate Tszyu.

“I'd be happy for them to challenge because I don't think the scorecard of 115-113 was right at all,” Rose said. “And that would mean Nikita wins the fight.

“But we'll accept the draw. At the end of the day, I'm not going to complain about the 115-113. That's the decision they made and that's how they saw it.”

The promoter, whose company holds exclusive broadcast rights with Fox Sports and Main Event for major Australian fights, was far less accommodating when told of Mahoney’s vow not to fight on a No Limit card again.

“What, it's going to be on a Tasman card in front of 200 people?” Rose shot back. “Who would stage it then?

“Please don't try to diminish what we do in the sport. The shows we put on are the best in the country. If people are going to be critical of judging, it has nothing to do with us whatsoever.”

The fight that was meant to propel a Tszyu towards a world-title shot has instead opened up a different battle – over trust, over judging, over who controls the biggest nights in Australian boxing.