Sean McComb was stunned after a controversial defeat in the early hours of Sunday morning in New York, losing by a split decision.

The Belfast boxer faced Arnold Barboza Jr. in the co-main event of the Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, winning the American WBO Inter-Continental super-lightweight title. Before the fight, McComb had expressed confidence that he would pull through if he stuck to his plan, and he executed it flawlessly.

However, two judges scored the fight 96-94 and 97-93 for Barboza, while the other favored McComb with a score of 98-92. Promoter Eddie Hearn expressed disbelief at the discrepancy in the scorecards, saying it “made no sense whatsoever.”

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Fellow Belfast boxer Caoimhin Agyarko echoed this sentiment, calling it “one of the worst decisions” he has ever seen in boxing. Throughout the ten-round fight, Barboza appeared to struggle with McComb’s style, and the southpaw caused the defending champion considerable difficulty – which was clearly visible on the 32-year-old’s face at the end of the fight.

The result was met with boos from the crowd and left McComb, his coach Pete Taylor and the rest of his team in a state of shock, the Irish Mirror reported.

Matchroom boss Hearn asked DAZN: “How on earth can McComb have 98-92 and Barboza 97-93? That makes absolutely no sense. I thought McComb had won. With the wide range of scorecards, that’s impossible. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Following this result, Barboza’s record now stands at an impressive 30-0, while McComb’s has risen to 18-2.

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