Eddie Hearn livid as boxer disqualified for throwing rival out of ring
Montana Love went full WWE on Stevie Spark.
Eddie Hearn was left infuriated by the decision to disqualify Montana Love after he dumped Stevie Spark over the top rope. The Matchroom Boxing chief said that everyone 'looked lost in the decision-making process' as his fighter was stripped of his undefeated record for his actions.
Love and Spark met each other at the Rocket Morgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio in a light-welterweight main event live on DAZN. After a cagey opener, Love was dropped by a stiff right hand in the second that ignited a war of attrition between the two fighters.
Both men traded heavy blows up until the sixth when the pair clashed heads, opening up a gash above Love's left eye. After a lull in the action as the doctor checked over the damage, the contest resumed with Love charging out of the gates at Spark.
As the pair clinched, Love continued bulldozing forward and toppled Spark over the top rope. Spark stuck the landing, but the referee chose to call off the contest despite Love's protests.
WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.#LoveSpark pic.twitter.com/XudQLRu8wl
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 13, 2022
Speaking after the fight, Hearn said: "Everyone looked lost in the decision-making process. Montana was rough but he was right, he didn’t pick him up.
"Credit to Stevie Spark. When he fell out of the ring, he got right back up and made his way back to the ring. Montana Love didn’t look for a way out, it was turning into a real fight. Montana got off the floor. The referees got to stop making these quick decisions. The referee has a tough job but that was a poor decision. Maybe we’ll do it again."
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Love also protested his innocence. He insisted he "never intentionally" sent Spark out of the ring and claimed that Spark was using roughhouse tactics all night.
"That was a bad call, very bad judgement from the referee," Love told DAZN in the ring. “He doing dirty tactics, it was happening all night, man: Elbows, behind the back, headbutts. Dirty tactics all night and he tried to roughhouse me.
"I'm just not one of them guys that's going for that, you know what I'm saying? So, I just pushed him off me, I never … I'm not picking him up, his arms around me, grabbing me, and I just pushed him.”
Later that night, Love revealed that he and his representatives will be appealing the decision and intend to run the fight back next year.