Fans were outraged after a referee chose not to disqualify boxer Nicolas Pablo Demario for biting Josue Vargas during a fight on Saturday night.
The boxer was giving Vargas a solid test in his first fight back after being knocked out last October by Jose Zepeda. But during the fifth round of their eight-round contest, Demario decided to bit Vargas on the shoulder in a shocking display of bad sportsmanship.
Demario was only docked one point for the infraction, with many viewers expressing their disdain that he wasn't disqualified from the contest. Biting an opponent is strictly forbidden in boxing, and has seen fighters fined and suspended as well as immediately pulled from fights in the past on particularly egregious occasions.
And fans were furious, with one saying on Twitter : "Boxing is so inconsistent. Standing up during a clinch and "throwing" your opponent is a DQ but a bite isn't." Another added: "Should've been 2 points or a DQ".
Some noted that the incident was similar to one between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, when the former world heavyweight champion infamously bit off a chunk of his rival's ear. In that instance, Tyson was immediately disqualified and suspended from the sport for his infraction.
And British heavyweight Kash Ali has seen similar punishments for biting during a fight himself. Back in 2019 he was fined £10,000 and suspended for half a year after an incident during his fight with David Price.
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One fan noted the similarity, tweeting: "Point deduction? Should be disqualified with a ban. Kash Ali got a 6 month ban for the same and a possible fine if a remember correctly."
Demario was arguably in control of the fight, and had put down Vargas earlier in the round, meaning he was heading for a 10-8 on the scorecards. But he opted to make the illegal move, and it ultimately cost him the decision.
Vargas hadn't been stopped before last October's WBC silver super lightweight title showdown with Zepeda, but appears to need more time back in the ring after struggling with the unfancied Demario on the undercard of Miguel Berchelt vs. Jeremiah Nakathila in Las Vegas.
