Joey Essex at risk of Misfits Boxing debut win being overturned

Essex impressed the spectators with his heart and determination, surviving two standing counts to claim a majority decision victory on the undercard of Darren Till's knockout victory over Luke Rockhold last month. But his opponent, Portuguese influencer Numeiro, has revealed to iFL TV that he felt he was a victim of an injustice. 

Numeiro said: “Every time I rewatch the fight, every time I speak to someone professional, coaches, referees, pro athletes, I always get the same feedback – ‘That could never have happened [Essex winning]'. 

“If they had given us a draw, I don’t think we would be arguing about it. It’s still not fair from my perspective, but it’s definitely not a loss."

Essex came into the fight with some heavy boxing artillery behind him, with his world champion trainer uncle Tony Sims in his corner, as well as his cousin Demi Sims who was also making her debut on the card.

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The Portuguese influencer revealed that due to the fight being in the UK he was told “you will never get the decision against Joey Essex”, and he has now appealed against the judges' verdict.

He said: “I put a lot of work [in]. I dedicated so much time and effort, and I’ve left so many things behind to focus on the fight.

“For it to go that distance because of a bad ref, I think It is really unfortunate. So I asked them and I asked my team if there was something we could do about it, and they told me yes. 

“After speaking with each other and with the whole team, we figured it was a good move to lodge an appeal and see what decision we get back.” 

Numeiro has dismissed the idea of a rematch and just wants “a fair result”. 

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