ONE Championship: Stamp Fairtex’s split decision win over Supergirl Jaroonsak stirs up scoring debate
- Stamp met fellow Thai in a short-notice strawweight kickboxing clash at ONE Fight Night 6 on Saturday, and won a decision after three exciting rounds
- Judges’ scorecards for the bout in Bangkok have split opinion, with some fans and fighters scoring it the opposite way
Stamp Fairtex got the win she sought at Saturday’s ONE Championship Fight Night 6 event in Bangkok, Thailand, but it was not without controversy.
The 25-year-old Thai met her countrywoman Supergirl Jaroonsak, 19, in a short-kickboxing clash at strawweight at the event, and won by split decision after three rounds.
But it was promptly apparent that many viewers scored the fight the other way around, and the outrage only got louder after ONE released the judges’ scorecards.
Judges Shane Byrne and Willip Ho both scored the 29-28 for Stamp, while judge Josh Tonna, a former ONE Super Series fighter and strawweight Muay Thai title challenger, gave the same score to Supergirl.
While Tonna was in the minority among his colleagues, many fans have expressed agreement with his score on social media, as did Japanese bantamweight Shoko Sato, who defeated Kim Jae-woong under MMA rules earlier on the card.
“I think Supergirl,” Sato wrote on Instagram.
It is not just the result of the fight stirring up controversy. Judge Byrne has received some additional criticism for scoring round one for Stamp, with many fans agreeing that was Supergirl’s strongest round.