Watch Dirrell’s coach and uncle punch his opponent below:
“All I remember was him throwing a shot at me at the same time the bell rang,” Dirrell said of the final punch, per ESPN. “After that, everything was blurry. I remember a shot, and then all went fuzzy. I forgive Uzcategui. I forgive his camp. I don’t want to win a championship like this. I wanted to win fair and square. But I forgive him.”
A riot ensued at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD following Coach Lawson’s punch.
Police are now looking for Dirrell’s uncle/coach Leon Lawson. Dirrell gave a statement on his uncle’s actions, saying:
“I’m sorry for what my coach has done,” Dirrell said. “My coach is my family, my uncle, and he was worried. He cares for me. He loves me. Please forgive him. I’m going to stand up like a man. I didn’t win like I wanted to, but I’ll be back. I’m going to come back as soon as they let me.”
As for Uzcategui, he said he didn’t hear the bell and believes he was robbed of the title:
“I was throwing a three-punch combination, and I didn’t hear the bell,” Uzcategui said. “I didn’t mean to hit him. The third punch wasn’t that hard of a punch. I was surprised he stayed down. He did the same thing against Abraham that he did against me tonight. He quit against me, and he quit against him. I deserve to be the winner.”
“I felt very good. I was hurting him the entire fight,” Uzcategui said. “I felt like I could hurt him anytime I wanted. Nothing he hit me with hurt me.”