"Send the judges to Alcatraz" - Boxing world outraged as David Morrell earns split decision win over Imam Khataev despite suffering knockdown 

Fans unanimously criticized the boxing judges following David Morrell vs. Imam Khataev. On the undercard of the Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz card, Morrell defeated Khataev on the scorecards in a closely contested fight.

Khataev established his dominance early, landing several body shots and overhand rights on Morrell. However, Morrell made the necessary adjustments, effectively using his footwork and jab to counter Khataev. He gradually shifted the momentum in his favor and overwhelmed the Russian-born boxer with poweful, high-volume shots.

Despite Morrell's comeback, Khataev scored a knockdown in Round 5 and appeared to land the cleaner and more powerful strikes consistently throughout the fight.

Ultimately, two of the three judges scored the contest for Morrell, declaring him the winner by split decision (96-93, 95-94, 94-95).

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Check out the official result announcement below:

Fans flooded the comments section to express their discontent with the scorecards. While many acknowledged that the fight was close, they felt that Khataev deserved the victory, particulatly because he scored the only knockdown of the fight.

One fan commented:

"Send the judges to Alcatraz."

Others expressed their frustration in harsh words, even alleging foul play:

"Morrell loss! Ain’t nobody with two decent working eyes watched that fight and can say otherwise. Khataev knocked Morrell down and landed more punches. Judges being paid off... Sport of boxing in a sh* place."

Another fan wrote:

"Shame on you all for fixing the judges' scorecards. No need to even buy these cards anymore."

Female heavyweight champion Claressa Shields also commented on the outcome, posting on X:

"Yeah, Morrell lost this one … but great fight."

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @DAZNBoxing on X]

Despite the backlash, Morrell's victory over Khataev marked his return to the win column after suffering a unanimous decision loss to David Benavidez in the WBC interim light heavyweight title fight in February. Meanwhile, this fight also marked the first defeat of Khataev's professional boxing career.

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Edited by Rajneesh Suhas Reddy