Chrisean Rock defeated Zenith Zion by split decision in a chaotic three-round boxing match in Chester, Pennsylvania. The fight featured a knockdown and was officiated by Floyd Mayweather Sr.
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Rock-Zion
Credit: TrillerTV
In a fight that was as wild and non-technical as one might expect, reality-TV star Chrisean Rock scored a knockdown, and shook off a controversial knockdown to defeat Zenith Zion via split decision in a three-round, crossover boxing match in Chester, Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
This fight and event had a lot happening, and I'm not sure any of it was good. Here's something to chew on as we get into it all. Floyd Mayweather Sr. was the referee for the main event and Fatimah Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s sister, fought in the co-main event.
Yes, it was wild.
Rock locked up the win with a few better combinations and by bullying Zion in the ring with pressure. I'm careful not to use too many traditional boxing terms for this one, because there was nothing traditional about it.
The split decision verdict came after three rounds that included a legitimate Round 1 knockdown by Rock and a head-scratching Round 3 knockdown call against her by Mayweather Sr.
Official scorecards weren’t published, but at least one judge had it for Zion despite Rock controlling the bulk of the action. Compare that to the overly-involved officiating in the Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora result earlier this month and the contrast is hard to miss.
Rock appeared to have the most power of the two women. When she landed, she consistently drove Zion backward. Here is a look at the first-round knockdown Rock scored.
The biggest moment came in Round 1, when Rock clipped Zion with a clean right hand that put her down. Mayweather Sr. gave Zion an extended count that some thought was unusually long, but Zion beat it and the fight continued. Late in Round 3, Mayweather called a phantom knockdown on Rock that observers questioned in real time, then both fighters embraced in tears as the Rocky theme played and Tommie Lee climbed in to console Rock.
Chrisean Rock won the fight against Zenith Zion by split decision.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. served as the referee for the match.
The fight included a knockdown by Rock and a controversial knockdown against him, resulting in a split decision victory.
The fight took place in Chester, Pennsylvania.
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Many fans took shots at the overall quality of the event, but others wondered how anyone scored the fight for Zion. One commenter on X said, "this whole event is a**."
The bulk of the criticism landed on Mayweather Sr.’s officiating, with both his extended count after Zion's knockdown and his Round 3 knockdown call against Rock drawing widespread questions. Boxing purists piled on the defense and balance from both fighters, while XRUMBLE's celebrity boxing audience seemed to enjoy the spectacle and the post-fight emotion regardless of the technical quality.
The obvious next step is a rematch: the controversy alone makes the second fight an easier sell than this one was. Both women showed enough heart to justify another XRUMBLE booking, and Zion in particular comes out with credit despite the loss. If a rematch isn’t the play, Rock has crossover options like Treach and Pepa’s daughter Egypt Criss already on the table from earlier in the year.
Either way, this fight gives XRUMBLE its biggest viral moment yet and gives Rock real leverage on the platform. Damon Feldman now has a proven draw who can carry a main event, and that opens the door to bigger names from the celebrity boxing pool over the next few cards.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com