During a highly anticipated boxing match in Saitama, Japan, that featured Rukiya Anpo vs. Sina Karimian, a referee is the one that took most of the damage.
Videos by FanBuzz
To point out, this was not a rinky-dink bout, as some might know, Anpo recently fought Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition bout, and was scheduled to fight superstar Ryan Garcia.
In view of Anpo's fight vs. K-1 champ, Iranian boxer Sina Kari... things got out of control.
During the final round Karimian connected on some illegal spinning back fist punches and received a warning from the ref.
Anpo then retaliated by doing some of his own, which led to a chaotic back-and-forth.
The referee did his best to try and stop the madness, but in his efforts, he was hit hard at least three times by the fighters, although seemingly by accident.
Referee took 3 clean punches to the chin😭
— 🌴ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ🌴 (@TheArtOfWar6) December 31, 2024
Thankfully, security was there to step in and deescalate the situation, as the referee appeared to be okay in the end.
One user on X wrote, "This was one of the wildest things I've seen in combat sports... Plus that ref is tougher than most opening-card fighters in MMA."
Neither of the fighters received a punishment for their behavior in the ring, but they certainly owe an apology to the poor ref.
Ultimately, Anpo was awarded the victory by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 60-54.
Related: Tyson Fury's Dad Head-butts Usyk Team Member
