LESS than a week after their outcome review began, the WBC have now officially ordered a rematch between Sam Eggington and Lee Cutler.
Eggington (36-9, 20 KOs) won a ninth-round technical decision, halting the in-form Cutler (15-2, 7 KOs) after the ringside doctor deemed the 31-year-old unable to continue due to a cut over his right eye.
Referee Mark Bates adjudged it to have opened as a result of an accidental head clash, so they went to the judges scorecards rather than ending in a Cutler stoppage - some initially thought it would.
Kevin Parker and Bela Florian both had 87-85 scores, while Alexander Walter surprisingly scored a shutout for Eggington as he emerged the new WBC International Silver champion at 154-pounds. This bout was also given approval by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) to be a British title eliminator, with the belt currently vacant.
The Ring's Declan Taylor reported last week the sanctioning body had received an appeal from Cutler's manager Jake McGuigan, believing the fight-ending cut was actually caused by a legal punch.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed a panel would review the complaint, and they've detailed their findings with a detailed fight-ending chart diagram attached on the website explaining why the rightful conclusion was made at the time.
Cutler's team sent a short highlight clip, showing a cut opening on Eggington's left eye after being punched, cited as the basis for the review.
Eggington's manager and trainer Jon Pegg pointed out the fight was stopped due to a cut above his charge's opposite eye, which he believes was due to a headbutt.
Nonetheless, the WBC's panel reviewed the complete fight, supervisor Charlie Giles' report as well as additional facts and testimonies from both sides, plus the BBBofC, overseeing BOXXER's Birmingham card on Easter Sunday.
They concluded that the original cut was caused by a legal punch, during a "tough" fight with multiple accidental head clashes, worsened by at least one instance. The referee had acknowledged as much, summoning the ringside doctor to assess Eggington's eye and it was then deemed dangerous, severe enough to stop it entirely.
As per the sanctioning body's rules, if a boxer suffers an accidental injury, a technical draw will be called if it occurs before the start of round five. If it happens after that point, they would go to the scorecards, which is what happened in this instance.
They have called upon Eggington to produce a medical report confirming his condition, while ordering a direct rematch between the pair.