Jadier Herrera remained unbeaten and left with the interim WBC lightweight title, but his eighth-round stoppage of Ricardo Nunez will be remembered less for the belt and more for the referee on the canvas.
The Cuban lightweight entered the bout with a perfect record and the chance to move into the world-title conversation. Nunez, a seasoned campaigner with proven power, was expected to test him. He did that immediately. In the opening round, Nunez floored Herrera with a right hand, exposing a vulnerability that future opponents will note. Herrera recovered, settled into the contest and gradually took control, but the early knockdown put a mark on an otherwise successful night.
By the eighth round, Herrera was in command. He backed Nunez up and unloaded a sustained combination. Nunez did not fire back and his head was being snapped back by clean shots. Referee Daniel Van de Wiele, an experienced official with more than 1,300 professional bouts on his record, stepped in to intervene. As he moved between the fighters, Herrera, still in the flow of his attack, inadvertently pushed into him. The shove knocked Van de Wiele off balance and he went to the floor.
The Belgium-based referee, known in boxing circles as Mr Boxing, got up immediately, showed no sign of injury and waved off the contest, handing Herrera his 20th professional victory and the interim WBC lightweight belt. It was Van de Wiele’s first assignment of 2026, another entry in a career that has included major heavyweight events such as Lennox Lewis against Hasim Rahman in 2001 and Vitali Klitschko against Juan Carlos Gomez in 2009. Yet this routine title bout became one of his most talked-about nights due to a simple collision.
The stoppage sparked debate. Some fans felt the finish came too soon and argued that Nunez still appeared composed when the fight was halted. Others focused on the referee’s age, suggesting that officials should perhaps have an upper limit, with Van de Wiele now 69. There were also lighter reactions, with viewers joking that the referee himself might have needed a count after hitting the deck, while others praised him for getting up quickly and resuming control.
Behind the viral clip shared on social media, there is a serious competitive picture. Herrera now holds the interim WBC lightweight title and could become full champion if current titleholder Shakur Stevenson chooses to remain at junior welterweight after his bout with Teofimo Lopez on 31 January. If Stevenson vacates, Herrera would be well positioned to be elevated.
At the same time, his performance suggested that he may be a target rather than a dominant force. Being dropped early by Nunez, a recognised puncher who holds a win over the capable Alfredo Santiago, is not a disaster, but it adds doubt. Herrera showed resilience by getting up and turning the fight around, yet he did not display standout physical or technical attributes that mark out a future division leader.
The finish itself, while justified by Nunez’s lack of response to heavy punches, looked untidy and arrived in a way that left room for dispute. Herrera was clearly on course to win, but the collision with the referee and the timing of the stoppage created an awkward end to a fight that was already mixed in its message.
Herrera leaves with an unblemished record, an interim world title and increased visibility. He also leaves with questions over his ceiling at lightweight and a highlight that belongs as much to the referee as to the new belt-holder.
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