Esquiva Falcao statement on the controversial IBF title judges decision in Germany
By Gabriel F. Cordero
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 03 Jul 2023
Through his social networks, the 33-year-old Brazilian Esquiva Falcado (30-1, 20KOs) did not hide his sadness with the result of his fight for the vacant IBF middleweight world championship against the German Vincenzo Gualtieri (21- 0-1, 7KOs) at the Unihalle Wuppertal, Wuppertal in Germany on Saturday, July 1.
Falcao was disappointed with the German Gualteri's stance and refereeing Vincent Dupas throughout the 12-round bout.
- I leave here my thanks to everyone who cheered. Thanks to my sponsors and team. We have reached the end. Let's go back to Brazil and rest with the family. I just wanted my family here with me. I got to the top of boxing. I can't stop crying, me and no one on my team imagined this result. I'm not going to blame anyone, what happened here only me and God know. We went there and we fought with claws and strength. Brazil thanks for everything. Good night," wrote the fighter in the stories of his Instagram account.
In the first minute of the second round, Gualtieri landed a left hook to the chin that sent Esquiva to his knees. The capixaba wrestler admitted that he felt the hand of his opponent in that blow. However, he would take two cheap blows throughout the fight, in the seventh and tenth rounds.
- I had a fall in the second round, the hand entered, I received it, but then I received two very strong blows below the waist and the referee did nothing. And apart from the blows that I have received on the back of the head, the shoulder on the chin... So, I believe that the referee is up there to protect the athletes, not just defend a home athlete or of the promoter who organizes the event. I'm sad, now I want to go home, see my family, be with friends, children, wife, that happens.
The referee score showed a great advantage for Gualtieri in the analysis of the judges Enrico Terlizzi (ET) 117-109, Oliver Brien (OB) 116-110 and Karoline Puetz (KP) 116-110 while on the broadcast scorecards it was 114 -112 to Falcao include the Falcao downs in rounds two and ten.
Esquiva complained that the referee was of the nationality of the fighter, who is of Italian origin, but lives in Germany.
- I think this fight was very unfair to me. I fought for the world belt in my opponent's house, it's not in his country, it's in his house, in his city. And the referees are all German. Oh, there was an Italian. And where is the boy from? He is from Italy. He is Italian but he lives in Germany. So, the fight was all for him to win. Despite the defeat, I leave here sad, but knowing that I did my part (...). I didn't have to fight just one athlete, I had to fight one athlete, arbitration, problems, but that's life. I know that there will be many people to criticize me, others to support, and that's it-he concluded--
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