After the drama over the referee before the Hughie Fury fight and what has been described as a "disgraceful" and "shameful" performance by Giuseppe Quartarone in the Anthony Joshua clash, the officials are once again in the spotlight before Joseph Parker's bout against Dillian Whyte in London.
The good news for Team Parker is that Whyte's promoters Matchroom, and the British Board of Boxing Control, which has jurisdiction over the fight at the O2 Arena, are on the side of Kiwi Parker, who must win to remain relevant as a serious player in the heavyweight division.
The issue is that the WBC sanctioning body want a Canadian judge, who has remained unnamed at this point, to join an Australian and UK official on the panel of three. But Team Parker, wary of another controversy such as that provided by Italian referee Quartarone in Parker's defeat to Anthony Joshua in April, are complaining that the WBC's choice is inappropriate because of his inactivity and lack of credentials.
"There is an issue around one judge which remains unresolved," Parker's promoter David Higgins said today. "Duco, Matchroom, and the British Board of Boxing Control are in discussions with the WBC to try to resolve the final candidate to make sure the candidate has got a good track record and he's competent."
Whyte, an Englishman ranked No2 in the world by the WBC, will be defending his WBC silver heavyweight title in the fight on Sunday morning, the pair also contesting the vacant WBO international heavyweight belt.
