Boxing referee Amy Pu refuses to accept two towel throws seconds before heavyweight is KO’d

Boxing referee Amy Pu had a tough night at the office tonight with a number of controversial decisions at The O2 Arena in London.

Early in the night, boxing fans were left outraged as Pu stepped in to put an end to a four-rounder between Aaron Noriega and journeyman Leonardo Baez with 90 seconds left on the clock. And things got even worse later in the card.

Irish heavyweight Adam Olaniyan was dominating Dan Garber, and floored him with a big body shot in the second round. His corner had seen enough and threw the towel in twice, but Pu decided she hadn’t seen enough and kicked both towels out, forcing the Dubliner to land a massive shot to the head.

After the incident with an early stoppage during the prelims, Amy Pu was well aware that she must keep the action going as they arrived at the main card. Olaniyan’s O2 Arena bow was one of the key attractions of the night, and he was taken out of the first round for just the third time.

When he dropped Dan Garber to the body, it was clear that the Brit’s corner had seen enough and they threw in the towel. When Pu didn’t notice it, they threw in a second one, which made Olaniyan tap her on the shoulder and draw attention to the scene.

In a strange move, she walked across the ring and simply kicked them out. This meant that the Irishman had to continue fighting, and ultimately scored a much more vicious knockdown with a shot to the head that resulted in a third towel being thrown.

Pu was almost willing to let Garber continue to compete, giving him until the count of eight despite seeing that third towel. Fortunately, she came to her senses and waved off the fight, much to the annoyance of viewers.

Social media was abuzz with criticism of Pu’s performances on the night, with one commenter writing on X that she should be relieved of her duties. “The worst referee in boxing strikes again,” they wrote. “Amy Pu must be removed from the sport.”

Boxing News’ Danny Gilfillan then wrote from ringside: “Dan Garber receiving oxygen after referee Amy Pu inexplicably refuses the corner’s towel and allows Olaniyan to pile more damage in.

“Rules should be changed to make the towel coming in an automatic fight ended. Ref’s don’t know what’s been happening in the gym.”