Zak Miller's British featherweight title fight against Gully Powar was stopped in the tenth round at Manchester's AO Arena on Saturday night after the boxer developed two massive lumps on his head, leaving his skull looking like a "beach ball". Ringside doctors waved off the contest after one glance at Miller's deformed head, and the bout went to the scorecards because the injuries came from an accidental head clash rather than clean punches.
Accidental clash causes first swelling
The trouble began at the end of the seventh round when an accidental head clash opened a bloody gash and produced a large lump over Miller's left brow. By the ninth round, a second hematoma had appeared on the opposite side of his forehead, leaving the fighter in severe pain.
Despite Miller's pleas to continue, ringside commentators Ade Oladipo and Carl Frampton were left stunned by the extent of the swelling. Oladipo said on the broadcast: "I've seen some hematomas in the sport, but that is one of the worst I've ever seen." Former world champion Frampton added: "That is the worst I've ever seen. That was shocking, you have to feel for the kid, he was in a lot of pain."
Technical decision and social media reaction
Because the fight-ending injuries stemmed from an accidental clash rather than clean punches, the contest went to the scorecards. Miller lost a razor-thin technical unanimous decision (96-95, 97-95, 96-94), with Powar taking the British featherweight title.
Horrified supporters watching the Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson undercard flooded social media in disbelief, with many fearing for Miller's immediate wellbeing. One wrote: "Please get that man to the hospital immediately. That is so bad." Another added: "I've never seen someone's head like this, he doesn't even look like he did before the fight." A third posted: "Bloody hell, that man needs a brain scan immediately."
Others questioned why the contest was allowed to reach the tenth round, with one fan posting: "Crazy for the corner and doctor not to stop it earlier. Hopefully it isn't anything more serious."
