He walked away before a punch was even thrown.
It was an easy evening’s work for heavyweight boxer Efe Ajagba on Friday evening. The Nigerian Super-Heavyweight boxer was awarded a win via immediate disqualification after his opponent Curtis Harper walked out of the ring just after he’d heard the dinging of the opening round bell.
The crowd booed, the commentators didn’t know what to make of it while big Ajagba took a step back to his corner wondering what the hell was going on but that man Harper wasn’t in the mood for turning around.
https://twitter.com/ryansongalia/status/1033168271963561985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1033168271963561985&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.punditarena.com%2Fboxing%2Fccunningham%2Fwatch-boxer-exits-ring-pay-dispute%2F
“I’ve never seen this before, I’ve never seen this before in my life,” said one of the Fox Sports One commentators.
It was later revealed that the 30-year-old American had abandoned his duties on the back of a dispute over pay.
“He walked out of the ring because he’s not getting paid enough to fight and that he wants respect,” Wrote Premier Boxing Champions’ journalist Jordan Hardy on Twitter.
The bell rang, and Curtis Harper walked right out of the ring.
He wanted to "make a statement" because he felt he wasn't getting paid enough for the bout, according to @PBCJordanHardy. pic.twitter.com/tHgTE1PPyx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 25, 2018
Meanwhile, Harper’s trainer Nate Campbell said he was embarrassed by his fighter’s decision.
Nate Campbell, the trainer of Curtis Harper and a former lightweight world champion, is not happy about his boxer abandoning the fight on live TV. pic.twitter.com/xgwVvedjsd
— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) August 25, 2018
Bizarre stuff.
