Australia’s Liam Wilson says a “27 second count” robbed him of the WBO super featherweight title against Mexican superstar Emanuel Navarrete – with promoters No Limit even launching an immediate protest over a result which left the Queenslander in tears afterwards.
Despite being dropped and then stopped in the ninth round of his hyped US championship bout by Navarrete, it was Wilson’s own big knock down in the fourth — and subsequent long count — that is now the subject of an official complaint to US boxing officials.
After sensationally dropping his rival with a strong combination of rights and that signature ‘Left Hook From Hell’, Wilson was then forced to watch on as referee Chris Flores gave Navarrete almost half a minute to recover.
So heavily did Wilson land on the two-division champion — a fighter whose undefeated tear had stretched 10 years and 30 fights — he revealed afterwards how his rival’s “eyes were f…ed”.
Navarrete vs. Wilson: Fight highlights | 03:31
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Despite being clearly in trouble, Navarrete was then not only slow to his feet, but appeared to deliberately spit his mouthguard onto the canvas when rising – an obvious stalling tactic.
It was during the mouthguard drama that referee Flores appeared to stall in a count which, overall, was 27 seconds before action resumed.
No Limit promoter Matt Rose was so incensed with the long count that, immediately after the fight was finished, he launched an official protest with the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission.
A clearly shattered Wilson also spoke through tears with a handful of Australian journalists afterwards, convinced he had been robbed of the chance to win a world title for his late father Peter, as he had promised on his dad’s deathbed.
“I can see his face,” Wilson said afterwards of Navarrete. “And I felt it was a knockout.
“His eyes were f…ed.
“Sorry, his eyes were stuffed.
“He was on the ground, eyes rolling in his head.
“It looked like he was definitely gone and it’s a shame it took a lot of time for him to get back up, to get his composure and senses back.
Emotional Wilson reacts post-fight | 02:57
“Then, he was able to spit his mouthguard out. Buy a few more seconds.
“Next thing you know it’s nearly 30 seconds.
“I don’t think that’s fair. It’s not right.
“(The referee) took so long and there was enough time for him to find his measure again.
“It just dragged on.”
Asked specifically if he was robbed the Australian continued: “If it’s true that it was 27 seconds, that’s robbery.
“But I’m just a fighter and if my hand didn’t get raised, I lost.
“It’s a shame.
“There was a lot of commotion after the knock down and then, almost 30 seconds had dragged on (before) he was back on his feet.
“He was wobbly after he got up. But it shouldn’t have got there.”
So as for he the 18/1 underdog felt, standing in the corner, as those seconds ticked by for what should have been one of the greatest upsets in Australian boxing history?
“Initially, I went to the corner,” he continued. “Then I looked over at my corner, a few more seconds went by, then I looked at the referee and he basically started counting.
“I thought ‘f…’.
“And then he only just starts doing this (Wilson begins counting on his fingers) and Navarrete then found his bearings enough to spit out his mouthguard.
“I thought ‘f…ing hell’. Sorry, but this has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. It’s a shame.”
Wilson also swarmed again at the end of the round and, as the seconds ticked down, had his rival backed against the ropes, and seemingly gone when the bell sounded.
From there however, Navarrete rallied and eventually earned that stopped in the ninth, with all three judges having him ahead on their scorecards.
However, the Mexican was not even into his post fight speech when Rose had approached officials to launch a protest.
The alleged long count ended a bizarre weekend of controversy for the Australian, who also accused his rival of tampering with the scales during the weigh-in.
Team Wilson are convinced Navarrete was going to weigh in heavy for the bout and therefore had the scales tampered with so he came in under the limit.
Despite the drama and disappointment however, an incredibly courageous Wilson promised to bounce back a stronger fighter – but wanted footage of the Navarrete long count aired.
“I can put it behind me so long as the whole world knows,” he said. “And the people who witnessed it.
“That stuff (footage) doesn’t lie.
“But I just need to go back home and rest.
“I only want to take hard fights.
“For some reason I can’t get up for easy fights. I perform really badly.
“So I just want to take hard fights. Fights that get remembered and are worth it.
“And I feel like this one was worth it.
“And I want the next one to be worth it.
“I just want Australia to know I am a true champion. I just want to be in championship fights or close enough.”