This is the terrifying moment a boxing referee was brutally punched in the face while trying to break up a fight between Keyshawn Davis and Miguel Madueno on Saturday night.
The lightweight fight took place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey and saw Davis and Madueno face off in a bad-tempered clash that threatened to spill over into the rounds.
The shocking incident occurred at the end of the sixth round, when the bell rang and both fighters opted to continue fighting rather than return to their corners.
Madueno was the main instigator initially, and the referee was forced to restrain him to prevent him from attacking his opponent.
As the two got closer, they managed to confront each other, before Davis threw a punch, lightly hitting Madueno in the head.
Keyshawn Davis and Miguel Madueno did not want to stop fighting after the bell rang
Madueno went to hit Davis between rounds, but inadvertently caught the referee.
The referee was shaken and fell backwards, but managed to stay on his feet.
In response, the Mexican fighter tried to fight back, but inadvertently hit the referee, causing him to stagger backwards.
The officer managed to stay on his feet but was visibly shaken by the blow, so both fighters returned to their corners with their trainers.
The referee immediately went to Madueno’s corner and was heard on camera saying ‘who the hell just hit me?’, while commentators speculated on whether the fighter would be disqualified.
In the end, Madueno emerged unscathed from the referee’s accidental blow, but lost the fight by unanimous decision at the end of the 10 rounds.
The result ensured that Davis maintains his unbeaten record (11-0), while Madueno moves to 31-3, having lost three of his last seven fights.