Only two fights into the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson undercard, and boxing fans from around the world are already becoming nervous about the quality of the judging in Arlington, Texas.
In just the second bout of the evening, heavy betting underdog Armando Casamonica appeared to be running away with the contest through the latter half of his undercard fight against Canadian Lucas Bahdi – before the judges’ scorecards ultimately went against the Italian.
Boxing fans slam judges’ scorecards in Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson undercard bout
It was undefeated vs undefeated on the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson undercard earlier this evening, with 17-0 Lucas Bahdi facing 14-0 Casamonica on short notice after his original opponent pulled out with a shoulder injury.
Despite stepping up on short notice and being the heavy betting underdog at +590, Casamonica appeared to come good through the second half of the fight; landing powerful combinations from the pocket as he gained momentum from rounds four and five onwards.
When the final bell sounded, both the commentary team and the vast majority of fans online had the bout going in favor of the Italian underdog; however, the scorecards ultimately read 95-95, 96-93, and 98-92 for Bahdi.
“There’s no way that was the fight we watched,” stated the broadcast booth, with social media ablaze with comments from boxing fans crying foul over the decision.
“Disgraceful scorecards. But not unexpected, Bahdi is s***,” wrote one fan on X, with another quick to add: “Roy Jones Jr. said Bahdi should thank his promoter, and I agree! 98-92 is a laughable scorecard.”
Bloody Elbow’s unofficial scorecards also had the fight going Casamonica’s way, although the statistics did later show that Bahdi out-struck the Italian 124-113 with both fighters connecting on 19% of their punches – by no means a robbery, but certainly a dubious decision at best.
Whether you agreed with the judges’ scorecards or not, Bahdi remains undefeated as a professional and extends his record to 18-0.
With Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson set to be contested over just eight two-minute rounds, there remains a distinct possibility that the controversial main event fight could also head the way of the judges.
Should 58-year-old Tyson go the distance with 27-year-old Paul, could we be in for another controversial decision? Follow our live coverage to find out later this evening!