One of the biggest takeaways of the June 21 DAZN card from Indio, California was the controversial referee stoppage that cost Angel Acosta his WBO light flyweight title.
Seconds into the final round, Acosta, who was ahead on all three judges scorecards at the time, was stunned by a left hand from Elwin Soto, sending Acosta to the ropes. Soto threw a flurry of punches and the referee immediately stepped in to stop the fight, awarding the win to Soto.
Acosta was visibly upset with the stoppage, as was the crowd at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino who proceeded to boo the referee for the stoppage. After the fight, Acosta expressed his frustrations in a post-fight interview.
"I?m a little disappointed. Sure he hurt me but not enough for the stoppage. I told the ref he shouldn?t have stopped the fight. I was coming back to get him but he shouldn?t have stopped the fight. Look it was the last round, there was not much more in the round," Acosta said.
As for what he could have done better, Acosta said he wishes he could have used the jab a little more. Shifting his focus towards the future, Acosta either wants a rematch to recapture his world title or a shot at any of the other world champions at 108 pounds.
"I would of used my jab more and use my distance more just like I did in the gym. I would like to fight same opponent, or the other champions in the division," Acosta said.
Acosta has held the WBO title since late 2017 when he defeated Juan Alejo to capture the then-vacant title. Since then, Acosta would go on to defend the title three more times, knocking out his opponent in every fight during his reign as champion.