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Simon Kean didn’t have to throw a punch to get his latest victory.
Newfel Ouatah flew in from France after a 15-month break, only to leave the ring seconds after the opening bell for a heavyweight clash between the former Olympians. Ouatah dropped to one knee and raised his fist, informing referee Martin Forest that he had no desire to fight, at which point the fight was stopped just 16 seconds into the first round of their contest broadcast on ESPN+ Friday night from the Casino. of Montreal in Montreal, Canada.
No reason was given for Ouatah’s actions, as the Frenchman left the ring shortly after trying to reconcile with Kean and before the final decision was announced.
The heavyweight clash was the most anticipated fight of the night, particularly given the all-action style of Kean, who has gone the distance just once in 23 professional starts. Friday’s fight was by far his fastest win and the only one in which not a single punch was thrown.
Ouatah showed no signs of being injured or complained to anyone during fight week about the conditions surrounding the fight. However, he clearly had an exit strategy in mind, as he never gave Kean a chance to get going. Kean was confused by the approach and threatened to throw a left hand while Ouatah was in the middle of protesting, only for the referee to step in and rule it an official knockdown.
Forest checked with Ouatah to get an idea of ​​what was going on, before calling off the competition.
The sequence recalled Curtis Harper walking out of the ring immediately after the opening bell had rung for his August 2018 fight with Efe Ajagba in Minneapolis.
Ouatah, who represented France at the 2008 Athens Olympics, falls to 18-5 (10KO). The loss is his second in a row, not having won a fight since February 2020.
Kean expressed embarrassment at circumstances beyond his control, though he improves to 22-1 (21KOs) in the process. The win marks the seventh in a row for Quebec’s Kean following a shock fourth-round knockout loss to Dillon Carman in October 2018. The 2012 Canadian Olympian has stopped each of his last seven opponents.
Headlining the show, undefeated super middleweight Christian Mbilli, a quarterfinalist from Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics, takes on Toledo-based divisional trial horse DeAndre Ware (15-3-2, 9KOs) in a regional title fight. scheduled for ten rounds.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
