Referee Pat Russell stops Jessie Vargas fight early because he heard wrong (Video)

Boxing referee Pat Russell probably needs to retire after his incredible blunder at the end of Saturday’s fight between Jessie Vargas and Timothy Bradley.

The ex-Marine and longtime boxing referee stepped in to stop the fight with 10 seconds left because he mistook a clapping sound for the final bell. In boxing, a clapping noise is used to signify there are 10 seconds left in the round, while the bell signals the end of the round. When he heard the clapping noise, Russell stepped in to keep Vargas, who had just smashed Bradley with an overhand right, from harming the dazed Bradley any further.

“Very loud in that 12th round and I thought I heard the bell, so the fight was over when the bell went off,” Russell told HBO’s Max Kellerman after the fight. “It was an honest call and an honest decision.”

Vargas thought Russell was stepping in to stop the fight and award him with a TKO, so he began to celebrate. Instead, Russell explained his mistake, so they went to the judges’ scorecards for the decision.

In the end, Vargas was robbed of 10 seconds where he could have attempted to finish the fight. He ended up losing by unanimous decision, which was the correct ruling. Vargas has already said he wants a rematch.

Image via Round by Round Boxing