Ron Kearney should never be let near a boxing ring again. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Not ever. His disgraceful performance during David Adeleye vs Jeamie TKV Tshikeva wasn’t just incompetent—it was outright dangerous and robbed a fighter of a possible win in a way that was nothing short of shameful.
What happened in round six wasn’t a misjudgment—it was a complete meltdown from a ref who either doesn’t know the rules or simply bottled the moment. With both heavyweights locked in a clinch, Kearney clearly shouted “break” twice, tapped Tshikeva’s glove, and made the standard gesture that signals a pause in action. Any fighter worth his salt knows what comes next: step back, protect yourself, and resume when told.
Instead? Tshikeva obeyed the command. Dropped his hands. The exact moment you’re meant to be safe in this sport. That’s when Adeleye, with zero hesitation and zero warning, cracked him with a loaded left hook that put Tshikeva on the floor.
And what did Kearney do? Not call a foul. Not wave it off. He counted. Counted. Like that was a clean knockdown. Absolutely staggering.
Then, while Tshikeva—clearly rocked, legs gone—is trying to recover from a blindside shot that never should’ve landed, Adeleye finishes him off. Second knockdown. Fight over. Job done.
This wasn’t just “controversial” officiating. This was negligent. This was someone who lost control of a fight and gambled with a man’s safety. In heavyweight boxing, you’re dealing with artillery in gloves—telling a fighter to break and then letting him eat a punch like that is not just unfair, it’s reckless.
Promoter Ben Shalom told The Ring that it was “one of the most disgraceful things” he’s seen? He’s being polite. It was farcical.
He added: “To see the referee deny he called ‘break’…I’ve watched it back, he calls it twice and touches his arm, then Jeamie looks away and he’s got hit, then he gets counted out. That decision cannot stay, technically it’s a disqualification. It’s terrible, terrible refereeing and it’s lost Jeamie a fight he was winning quite comfortably.”
When the ref denies he called “break” despite every camera angle picking up his voice and hand taps? That’s not just incompetence anymore. That’s a man trying to cover his own back after ruining a fighter’s night and potentially his career.
This fight has to be overturned. There’s no two ways about it. It was a DQ, plain and simple. If the British Board lets this stand, they’re as culpable as Kearney.
Ron Kearney shouldn’t ref a charity bout, let alone a British title fight. You don’t make mistakes like that and walk back into the ring like nothing happened. He’s not fit for this job—he proved it last night in front of the whole world.
Absolutely shocking.
Last Updated on 04/06/2025
