WBA president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza said Sunday that he will order a rematch of the middleweight title fight between Ryota Murata and Hassan N'Dam after the bout ended in controversy.
A night after N'Dam won a split decision over the London Olympic gold medalist, Mendoza took to Twitter to say he had Murata as the winner, and apologized for the outcome that left Murata shell-shocked in the ring.
Two judges saw N'Dam win 116-112 and 115-112. The third had Murata, who was bidding to become the second middleweight champion from Japan and the first in 22 years, up 117-110 — the same score Mendoza had.
"First of all let me apologize to Ryota Murata, Teiken Promotions and all Japanese boxing fans," Mendoza tweeted. "I feel angry and frustrated for not being able to serve the sport with the right decisions.
"After judging the bout my scorecard is 117-110 for Murata. I will demand the championship committee to order a direct rematch."
The WBA confirmed on its website that Mendoza has issued a rematch order.
The Murata camp was livid at the decision, which drew boos and gasps of disbelief at Ariake Colosseum. Teiken chief Akihiko Honda was so furious that he said he would not let Murata fight N'Dam again.