Israel Adesanya accuses NZ Boxing of bias against CKB candidates: "Stop taking their dreams away"
Israel Adesanya has accused the New Zealand Boxing organization of corruption. This allegation came after his teammate, Taj Kagho, lost a bout due to poor judging, despite dominating most of the rounds. The fight took place on Oct. 5, 2024, and was a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games.
This was not the first controversial decision. Israel Adesanya took to Instagram to share a video of several instances of alleged injustice against City Kickboxing fighters. One of Adesanya's CKB teammates, Genah Fabian, experienced a similar fate in a qualifier in Aug. 2023, losing the bout via a split decision by the judges.
‘The Last Stylebender’ was frustrated and disappointed with the situation. He took to Instagram and shared the video with the caption:
“Corruption…still alive in NZ Boxing. I’ve had my share of daylight and night time robberies with boxing. A kickboxer with zero amateur fights whooping pros lol. But these young guys in the amateurs aren’t getting paid, all they have is a dream. To take a dream from young person who has EARNT his was is low as f**k. Olympic and commonwealth qualifying matches snatched away…all because they’re from @citykickboxing . We’ve noticed the pattern over the years, even on the judges scorecards. Give these young athletes a fair shake and stop taking their dreams away. Just think of it like this…if the best boxer actually goes to the world stage and wins then “WE ALL WIN!”
The former two-time middleweight champion expressed his desire for young athletes to receive fair decisions and to stop having their dreams taken away. Israel Adesanya is deeply associated with CKB, as he trains with his teammates at the City Kickboxing gym before his fights.
Anthony Hernandez shares his thoughts on potential Israel Adesanya matchup
Anthony Hernandez had an amazing performance at UFC Vegas 99 against Michael Pereira, finishing the latter in round 5 via TKO. In the aftermath of the fight, Hernandez was asked to give his take on a potential showdown with 'The Last Stylebender.' He replied, saying:
“I don't care. I’ll fight him.”
Check out Anthony Hernandez’s comments below: