By Ryan Songalia
The James Toney-Hasim Rahman rematch was supposed to bring closure to their initial meeting two years ago, which ended in a debatable draw. In the aftermath of the controversial third round TKO win for Toney, the result has drawn far more questions than conclusions.
Toney was awarded a TKO win when Rahman complained in the corner to the ring doctor about a cut, caused by an accidental headbutt, which he said was impairing his vision. Team Rahman, who have promised to appeal the decision, contend that an injustice had been brought against them.
When reached for comment, Rahman's trainer Marshall Kauffman expressed outrage with what he feels was a major fumble by the commission Wednesday night in Temecula, CA.
"I think they're out of their mind and something should be done about that," Kauffman told BoxingScene.com. "How the California commission, which has had a good reputation in the past, could do something like this is totally out of line. They need to be investigated."
Prior to the fight, both fighters agreed to retire should they lose. In light of the controversy that has since overtaken the event, Kauffman says that the former heavyweight champion will not end his career on such a sour note.
Kauffman was unable to elaborate on the extent of the cut's effect on Rahman's vision, saying "I can't answer that because I don't have his eyes. It'd be like me asking you 'When I punched you, did it hurt you?'"
The Reading, PA-based trainer did point out that he felt Toney's connect percentage rose dramatically after the blood began to flow.
"I personally don't think Toney was landing any punches until after the head butt. I thought Rock won the first two rounds and then after the cut happened, Toney started finding the range with the right hand."
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