The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) has completely disregarded WBO protocol and their contract with Joseph Parker to appoint neutral officials.
An English referee and a local judge will adjudicate during next weekend's heavyweight title fight between the Kiwi and Hughie Fury in Manchester.
The referee in question, Terry O'Connor, has refereed Fury's last two bouts.
This decision has outraged Parker's American boxing promoter Bob Arum, who told Newshub the BBBoC have completely ignored the standard WBO practices.
"There are some concerns there and then of course while the contract expletively provided that all neutral officials would be required," Arum told Newshub.
"The British boxing board said 'hell with the contract we are appointing a English referee and English judge' and that came despite a very forceful letter from the WBO saying that all neutral officials were required.
"When the English get on their high horse they get really haughty and there was no dealing with them.
"I just think having a English referee and a English judge puts Parker at a potential disadvantage."
Arum also believes that this is a clear reason why fighters should avoid basing themselves in the United Kingdom.
Those comments are interesting from Arum, after Parker told Sky Sports UK that he intends on making London his 'home base'.
"Neutral officials, the fight was in England and all the officials including the referee were neutral.
"How the British board of boxing control changes direction and says they don't care what is in the contract is monstrous and outrageous.
"The WBO has stood up well for Parker, I just think what is happening is wrong and intolerable and it should now warn fighters and promoters from all over the world to stay away from the United Kingdom.
"These are the same people who pulled out of the European Union. I don't want to get all political but what is happening in England is really intolerable."
Parker's New Zealand promoter David Higgins has responded and claims he's now negotiated for a New Zealand judge to join the panel.
"We’re frankly appalled by this. We have petitioned the BBBoC multiple times to see sense but to no avail. Serious questions need to be asked of the BBBoC,” said Higgins.
"This appointment of ‘home town’ officials contravenes the WBO’s guidelines that officials should be neutral, and clearly leaves the contest open to speculation about bias and impropriety."
"WBO president Paco Valcárcel wrote to the BBBoC politely requesting that 'the same procedure applied by the British Boxing Board of Control in the Anthony Joshua versus Wladimir Klitschko bout, should be used on this occasion'.
"We’ve formally raised these issues with BBBoC and its response has been quite frankly pathetic. They could not provide an adequate reason why they did not want a neutral referee."
WBO guidelines state that for a world title fight officials should be ‘not the same nationality or place of residence or origin of the Champion or the Challenger(s), or of their respective agents’.
Newshub.
