For the second successive time a referee has prematurely stopped a Clive Atwell fight in the 10th round which sparked protests and put another blemish on the prize fighter’s record.
Yesterday, Atwell 12(7)-2-1 lost via a 10th round TKO to Australia’s Kye ‘Frenzy’ MacKenzie 13(11)-0 in their super featherweight fight at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne after the referee surprisingly waved off Atwell following a left hand which staggered him to the ropes.
“It was definitely a bad stoppage because I was still on my legs and I was still responsive,” Atwell told Stabroek Sport yesterday.
“At least I think I deserved an eight-count before he waved it off but it is what it is.”
The fight, which MacKenzie was undeniably winning on the scorecards, was inexplicably stopped at one minute and 11 seconds into the 10th round to vehement protests by Atwell and his corner man, former world champion Gairy St. Clair.
Atwell added that MacKenzie “Is a good opponent but I was not finding bearings. No excuses, he won the fight based on the stoppage.”
With the win, MacKenzie who is one of Down Under’s brightest prospects captured the vacant WBO Oriental super featherweight title.
What is immediately up next for Atwell?
According to the 26 year-old, “The promoter offered me another fight in January, but first I have to discuss things with my family and look into my recovery period.”
In the long run, the former multiply title holder noted that he is seeking to campaign in an environment like Australia where the “quality is very high.”
Notes: In Atwell’s previous fight in May versus Mexican, Jhonny Gonzalez for the WBC featherweight title, the referee stopped the fight due to a cut sustained by Gonzalez which raised many eyebrows.
Atwell will go back to the drawing board when he returns to his adopted Dominica this weekend.
