September 10, 2010 By Sahr Morris Jr.
Head coach of the Sierra Leone national boxing team, Lamin Turay, has blamed the referee for an “unfair decision” in boxer Gibrilla Kamara’s heavyweight bout against Congolese fighter Carlos Muala Glory.
Kamara lost his opening bout in the ongoing All African Games in Brazzaville, Congo to the host nation’s fighter in the first round after receiving several punches from his opponent from the blue corner.
Even though the Sierra Leonean did not drop to the ground, the referee stopped the fight to save Kamara from further punishment, thus leading to his knock-out in Round One. The decision by the referee to stop the bout infuriated the Sierra Leonean boxer as he was willing to continue.
The referee’s decision also angered coach Mohamed Lamin Turay, who described it as “unfair and disappointing”.
He said: “The referee’s decision was unfair, the fight should have continued since the boxer was up without bleeding and was still willing to fight. It is disappointing with such officiating.”
However, veteran Sierra Leonean boxing coach, Lumprie Sisay, said the referee used the Referee Stops Contest (RSC) rule to avoid serious injuries.
Kamara became the second Sierra Leonean boxer to suffer a knock-out in 24 hours after his fellow countryman, Mohamed Kandeh, was also defeated in a similar pattern.