It is the best-known sign of submission in sport – but a boxing referee at the O2 Arena on Saturday night twice refused to accept a heavyweight fighter ‘throwing in the towel’ before he was brutally beaten.
Heavyweights Adam Olaniyan and Dan Garber were fighting in London on the undercard of Daniel Dubois‘ victory over Fabio Wardley – with Bradford fighter Garber, 41, beaten by technical knockout (TKO) in the second round.
But focus after the fight has instead been on referee Amy Pu, after she allowed Garber to undergo more punishing headshots even after his team had tried to stop the fight. Pu, the UK’s first and only female professional boxing referee, kicked a towel thrown by Garber’s team out of the ring to allow the fight to continue.
Garber had been dismayed by his team’s attempts to submit and Pu elected to continue on with the fight. Seconds later, Olaniyan, 20, unleashed a flurry of further punches which sent Garber to the canvas to end the contest. Garber’s team had thrown in another towel but that was also ignored before Pu stopped the punishment.
Garber could be seen receiving oxygen ringside after the fight.
It is rare for referees to overrule the decision of the boxer’s corner to end a bout but is allowed within the sport’s rules. British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) regulations state that the towel does not automatically end a fight and referees are left with the authority on when to do so.
Referee Amy Pu finally steps in to end Adam Olaniyan’s fight against Dan Garber on Saturday
Garber’s team twice tried to throw in the towel to stop the fight but Pu refused the submission
But fans were unimpressed by Pu’s decision-making, with footage of her kicking the white towel out of the ring going viral after being posted by broadcasters DAZN.
‘Ref nearly got dan garber killed. Kicking the towel out idiot,’ one viewer wrote on X.
Another fan said: ‘Dan Garber receiving oxygen after referee Amy Pu inexplicably refuses the corner’s towel and allows Olaniyan to pile more damage in. Rules should be changed to make the towel coming in an automatic fight ended. Refs don’t know what’s been happening in the gym.’
And another picked apart Pu’s record, writing: ‘Bbbofc referee Amy Pu has been mostly terrible all night, two stoppages called earlier than they needed to be, kicking the towel out to let Dan Garber take more punishment, this is not new for her.’
Originally from Taiwan, Pu took up boxing in her 30s in London and later became a professional referee in 2024. She has spoken about isolated issues of suffering from racism and sexism in the male-dominated world of boxing.
‘On the professional side, I have to say the reaction has mostly been really positive,’ Pu told the BBC earlier this year. ‘During the amateur days, there were some odd comments and stuff. I think one of the hesitations I had before turning professional was also for that reason.
‘People have just been so supportive, knock on wood, I haven’t really had any criticism directed at me because of my sex or because of my race.
‘I’m really grateful and I hope that it continues, that people should see me as a referee. They can give me stick as a referee, not as a female Asian referee.’
Rising star Olaniyan’s record now stands at 5-0 in his short professional career, while Garber has 14 victories to 10 defeats.
Garber, for his part, did not appear disappointed with Pu’s decision-making. Writing after the fight on Facebook – instead focusing on the money he had made and being able to ‘buy a third house’.
He said: ‘What an experience, took the fight last week and we knew what we was up against but no excuses.
‘Maybe this is the end now for me, time waits for no-one. Bought 2 houses out of boxing and tonight gets me a 3rd, it’s been a massive part of my life. If it is the end then what a way to go out in front of 20,000.’
