The bashing of Mark Lyson has been unsparing since the British boxing referee waved off the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven at the end of the 11th round, resulting in a controversial victory for Usyk on Saturday, May 23.
His action sparked unfounded accusations the fight was rigged. It’s also triggered intense criticism that Lyson had horrendous judgment in denying Verhoeven the 12th round in a potentially historic upset.
So far, a bout that Lyson handled in November 2021 and drew him widespread praise has provided little cover or compassion.
It was a super featherweight title fight between American Alycia Baumgardner and Britain’s Terri Harper. In the fourth round, Baumgardner hit Harper with a vicious right hand. Harper looked almost catatonic as Baumgardner moved in for another punch, before Lyson intervened.
He protected Harper and waved off the fight.
“Having great referees is so damn important for the health and safety of fighters,’’ said famed ring announcer Michael Buffer.
Boxing fan @robwaldon wrote, “World class officiating from Mark Lyson, he might have just saved Harper from brain damage.’’
And amid the well of anger following Lyson’s stoppage that may have saved Usyk, Canelo Alvarez said he saw it differently.
“I don’t think [the stoppage was early],’’ he said after the right. “I think they saved him from a brutal knockout.”
Teddy Atlas, the boxing analyst and former trainer, added: “I really believe the referee already made up his mind simultaneously as the bell was about to ring, the referee was already ready to stop it. So you can’t blame him.’’
Flaws are nothing new
The Harper vs. Baumgardner fight wasn’t the only memorable bout for Lyson in 2021. That March, Maxi Hughes was fighting Paul Hyland Jr. for a British lightweight title with a KO of Paul Hyland Jr.
According to talkSport, in the eighth round Hyland took a hook to the body and appeared to be going down. Lyson jumped in and directed Hughes to the neutral corner before noticing Hyland had recovered before touching the canvas.
Hyland, seemingly aware that Lyson had changed his mind, had his back turned when Hughes raced him and knocked him out with a right hook to the head.
Other Lyson critics might focus on a flyweight title bout between Britain’s Charlie Edwards and Mexico’s Julio Cesar Martinez.
In the third round, Edwards got hit with a barrage of punches and crumpled to the canvas. Then Martinez pounded him again with an illegal shot to the ribs.
Instead of calling the foul, Lyson called the fight. Controversy raged and the fight was ruled a no-contest.
Tony Bellew, the British boxer who held the WBC cruiserweight title in 2016 and 2017, was among those who spoke out when Lyson protected Harper with a stoppage at the end of her fight with Baumgardner.
“Mark Lyson deserves all the credit in the world,” he said. “It was a brilliant, brilliant call.”
But last weekend, during DAZN’s broadcast of the Usyk-Verhoeven fight, Bellew offered his thoughts amid the fury directed at Lyson.
“He’s a top referee,’’ Bellew said, “he’s human.’’
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Referee bashed for Usyk-Verhoeven stoppage has mixed history