The Ninth-Round Call

Howard Foster stepped in during the ninth round at Manchester Arena in Manchester on 23 November 2013. George Groves was still on his feet. Foster stopped the fight, ending a contest Groves was leading on the judges' scorecards and leaving the decision exposed to the people who had watched it happen.

The fight had already given both men a fact to carry into that moment. Carl Froch had dropped Groves hard with a right hand in the first round. Before Foster intervened, Groves had built a lead on the cards. One fighter had put him on the canvas; the other was ahead when the referee ended the contest.

The building answered before the argument could be tidied. The crowd in Manchester turned on Froch and cheered Groves. After the stoppage, both corner teams briefly squared off in the ring. Groves, his team, and spectators protested a call that had arrived with the challenger upright and the scorecards in his favor.

The British Boxing Board of Control backed Foster. Its defense centered on the referee's position at the instant of decision: Foster was six inches from the fighters and did not have the benefit of television replays. He saw the exchange from the ring and made the call in real time. The board accepted that view, though the visible facts left room for the protest that followed.

The stoppage became the official result, and the board's support gave Foster the backing of British boxing's governing body. It did not give Groves back the chance to finish the fight. Nor did it keep the dispute inside the ring. Foster was escorted out of the arena surrounded by security men.