Stevie Spark has won the WBA inter-continental super lightweight title in extraordinary circumstances, after his opponent Montana Love was disqualified for throwing the Australian out of the ring in the sixth round.
Key points:
- Stevie Spark was thrown from the ring in the sixth round of the 12-round contest
- Spark, 26, was fighting in America for the first time in his professional career
- Montana Love is handed his first career defeat in 20 professional bouts
The move more suited to professional wrestling than boxing came at the end of 25 seconds of madness at the start of the sixth.
First, Love was cut above the eye from an accidental headbutt as the orthodox fighter clashed with the Aussie southpaw.
After a lengthy chat with the ringside doctor, in which Love clearly said he could not see, the fight was allowed to resume — but only for a minute to see how the American faired.
With the fight likely to be stopped on doctors advice at the end of the round, if not sooner, both men flew into the centre of the ring in an effort to impress the judges.
However, when the pair came together on the ropes, Love ended up pushing the Queenslander over the top rope and out of the ring.
Spark landed on his feet and rushed back into the ring to resume hostilities, but the referee had already controversially called the fight off, disqualifying Love in front of his increasingly hostile home supporters in Cleveland, Ohio.
It was Love’s first career defeat in 20 fights to move to a 18-1-2 record, while Spark, the 26-year-old from Toowoomba, earns the biggest win of his career to move to 16-2.
As boos rained down from the stands at the home of NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, Love protested his innocence while Spark celebrated.
“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 arm’s around me, grabbing me, and I just pushed him.
Spark, who burst onto the scene in 2021 by jumping up two weight divisions to fight Tim Tszyu as a replacement for Michael Zerafa on short notice, was unharmed in the incident, even joking about his agility to land on his feet after flipping completely over.
“Bloody good landing if you ask me,” Spark said with a laugh.
Promoter Eddie Hearn was not smiling though, telling DAZN that it was a “terrible decision” and that they would be appealing to the boxing commission to overturn the result.
If the commission finds that the referee should not have disqualified Love, the fight will be deemed a no-contest.
Prior to the madness in the sixth, the fight had been brewing as a classic.
Love’s superior speed and footwork was causing issues for the more rugged style of Spark, but it was the Australian who landed the first blow, knocking the American down in the second round with a flurry of powerful rights.
Spark also impressed in the fifth, forcing Love into the corner and letting go with his hands.
The Aussie was warned though twice by the referee as his ugly style resulted in him getting tangled with his opponent.
“I’m as devastated as you guys,” Spark said in the ring.
“It was just warming up to be a fantastic fight and we were going to give you a fantastic show. Unfortunately that’s just how boxing is sometimes.”
