A controversial third round decision left Breidis Prescott disappointed to lose out to welterweight Fredrick Lawson in a 10-round split decision on Thursday night.

The Colombian looked to be ahead of his American counterpart in numerous rounds, but a shaky decision from the referee early in the tie left the 31-year-old angry with the outcome in Florida.

Nevertheless, Lawson remains unbeaten with 24 victories and no defeats, while Prescott now drops to 27 victories and seven defeats, both having won by knockout an impressive 20 times.

For Lawson, he faced a significant challenger for the first time in his career, although his experienced opponent hadn’t fought for eight months prior. Last losing to Roberto Garcia in a unanimous decision, Prescott has now lost five of his last eight bouts, ranging back to 2011.

25-year-old Lawson – who was fighting for the third consecutive time in the States after 21 straight fights in his native Ghana – attempted to use his power and size over Prescott, and was considered the more effective fighter over the initial three rounds.

A questionable knockdown left Prescott angry with the decision, and the incident undoubtedly played a more role in the final decision. Based on the scorings, if the knockdown was given as a slip, as it appeared to be following the replays, the outcome on the night could have been very different.

Referee Sam Burgos began to administer an eight-count as Prescott went down after losing balance, while Lawson also illegally pushed down behind his opponents head.

Despite some serious and ever-increasing swelling around both eyes, the willpower and desire of Prescott seemed to get the better of Lawson as he dominated the middle rounds, most notably landing a heavy counter left hook and right cross to the head of his 5”10’ opponent.

However, as he looked spurred to secure the victory by a points different after impressing in a number of rounds, Prescott’s punch output dropped considerably over the two rounds, possibly due to fatigue after controlling much of the bout. And with Lawson gaining a second wind, he was able to outbox Prescott during the final two rounds before being awarded the victory.

One judge scored the bout 96-93 in favour of Prescott, while the other two both scored 95-94 in favour of Lawson, who remains undefeated.

A controversial third round decision left Breidis Prescott disappointed to lose out to welterweight Fredrick Lawson in a 10-round split decision on Thursday night.

The Colombian looked to be ahead of his American counterpart in numerous rounds, but a shaky decision from the referee early in the tie left the 31-year-old angry with the outcome in Florida.

Nevertheless, Lawson remains unbeaten with 24 victories and no defeats, while Prescott now drops to 27 victories and seven defeats, both having won by knockout an impressive 20 times.

For Lawson, he faced a significant challenger for the first time in his career, although his experienced opponent hadn’t fought for eight months prior. Last losing to Roberto Garcia in a unanimous decision, Prescott has now lost five of his last eight bouts, ranging back to 2011.

25-year-old Lawson – who was fighting for the third consecutive time in the States after 21 straight fights in his native Ghana – attempted to use his power and size over Prescott, and was considered the more effective fighter over the initial three rounds.

A questionable knockdown left Prescott angry with the decision, and the incident undoubtedly played a more role in the final decision. Based on the scorings, if the knockdown was given as a slip, as it appeared to be following the replays, the outcome on the night could have been very different.

Referee Sam Burgos began to administer an eight-count as Prescott went down after losing balance, while Lawson also illegally pushed down behind his opponents head.

Despite some serious and ever-increasing swelling around both eyes, the willpower and desire of Prescott seemed to get the better of Lawson as he dominated the middle rounds, most notably landing a heavy counter left hook and right cross to the head of his 5”10’ opponent.

However, as he looked spurred to secure the victory by a points different after impressing in a number of rounds, Prescott’s punch output dropped considerably over the two rounds, possibly due to fatigue after controlling much of the bout. And with Lawson gaining a second wind, he was able to outbox Prescott during the final two rounds before being awarded the victory.

One judge scored the bout 96-93 in favour of Prescott, while the other two both scored 95-94 in favour of Lawson, who remains undefeated.

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About the author
Kane Brooker
Kane is an 18-year-old Sports Journalist who predominantly covers Manchester United FC while having a heavy involvement in the Boxing office. Having joined the VAVEL team back in October 2014, he has previously featured for Sky Sports News while writing regularly for The Non-League Paper. Kane is also the club reporter, programme editor and press and communications officer for Walton Casuals Football Club.