Roberto Ramirez Jnr has been appointed referee for the highly anticipated rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, and his past has been controversial.

The two heavyweight titans will clash again next weekend, with the “Gypsy King” looking to settle the score following his first professional loss to the Ukrainian in May in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

However, main center Ramirez Jnr, who will be overseeing the fight, has been embroiled in controversy before. Last year he officiated Chantelle Cameron’s high-profile rematch with Katie Taylor, in which Cameron became the first to defeat the Irish star before losing in the next fight. After the match, Cameron’s coach Jamie Moore criticized Ramirez Jnr, blaming him for Cameron’s defeat.

“She’s clearly devastated, you can imagine,” Moore revealed to BBC 5 Live Boxing. “She just feels like this whole scenario was set up for her to lose. In a way, we were determined to prove everyone wrong, just like we did last time. But last time she got away with it. I’m not saying, “First of all, I just want to say that from what I watched, it was a close fight that could have gone either way.”

“We were denied a knockdown in the first round, which should have happened. The knockdown is 100% justified. Before the fight, I was begging the referee in the locker room, please, she got away with it last time, holding tight. My athlete’s best work is close. Please don’t let her hold you like last time. And he let her do worse this time than last time. After securing victory, brawler Bray became the undisputed world champion in two weight classes.

Cameron herself later expressed doubts about the referee’s choice for their rematch with Taylor, speaking to BBC Radio Northampton: ‘It wasn’t just me and Katie in that ring. If that were the case, I would have accepted defeat and said I had won the better women that night. I had everything against me. The referee that night… it was such a high level fight, why would you hire a referee no one had heard of. It’s not my job, it’s my job, it’s my job to fight, don’t look at who’s refereeing, I’m just frustrated – if I could go back, I’d make sure everything was taken into account.

Eddie Hearn has changed his mind about the outcome of Saturday’s rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

Hearn will be a guest pundit on Riyad’s DAZN broadcast as Fury looks to exact revenge on Usyk, seven months after losing his undefeated record to the Ukrainian in the same arena via split decision.

The Matchroom boss initially sided with Usyk and secured his second victory in a row over “The Gypsy King”.

“I think it’s demanding for anyone to pick Tyson Fury to win the fight with balance,” Hearn said. talkSPORT.

“I think it will be an incredibly close fight. I think the last one was too.

“But I think given what we saw from Usyk in the first fight, his ability to absorb information, I think he’s very complex to put.

“I want Fury to win, I think he can win.

“I think he will have to do something extraordinary that we have seen before.

“But I think with common sense it is very complex not to choose Oleksandr Usyk in this fight.”

Fury took a disastrous ninth round to a eternal eight count before reaching the final bell and earlier this week vowed to end the 37-year-old’s career, although his promoter Frank Warren insists a third fight will be booked if he emerges victorious.

However, Hearn has now changed his mind and is backing his compatriot to seek revenge for the only loss of his professional career.

“I expect another really close fight on Saturday,” said the 45-year-old Boxing in the match room.

“I choose Tyson Fury for many reasons.

“I just have a sneaky feeling.”

“You start focusing on your pre-fight preparations.

“I saw these things yesterday [at the grand arrivals].

“I thought he looked very relaxed.

“Usyk talks really cocky, really different.

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but I’m going with Tyson Fury and Tyson Fury on points.”

Tyson Fury’s father will be absent from his corner during the highly anticipated fight against Oleksandr Usyk next Saturday evening.

Despite previous reactions to in-ring advice, including from his own siblings, following Fury’s loss to Usyk in May, Fury Sr has remained still on the upcoming fight and has not been seen in Saudi Arabia, where the event is taking place.

SugarHill head coach Steward confirmed that only he, Andy Lee and Cutman would support Fury from the corner. “Tyson Fury is just ready now, with me. He was always acting silly and having fun, but this is a different side of him. He’s 100 percent ready,” Steward said.

When asked about the team’s strategy, Steward said: “It’s just the way we usually train, Emmanuel Steward taught me. It’s always about hurting someone, pain and knockouts. It was written on the walls of the Kronk gym. The harder you work, the greater the rewards. Everything that is boxing is what he will bring on Saturday and that is what his mind is set on.

Meanwhile, Fury himself gave a terse post-training interview on Wednesday night, uttering just 17 words that summed up his intentions: “A lot of pain. Crashed and injured,” then “A lot of pain,” followed by “It hurts.” and ending with: “Solemn injuries. “Gigantic damage.”

During training, Usyk seemed unfazed by Fury’s terse remarks, replying with an ironic, “OK.” After outmaneuvering Fury in May, Usyk is tipped to win Saturday’s rematch.

Fury had the advantage in the first rounds, but Usyk changed the active from the eighth round. Despite almost being knocked out in the ninth kick, Fury vowed to end the rematch quickly, announcing on DAZN: “Just for the record, I will absolutely annihilate this motherfucker on Saturday night. No retirement, I will pristine them all and he will be the first on Rabbit’s face” – he positively assessed their first fight: “I was very pleased with the performance (I didn’t get such a result in the first fight). I wanted to, but overall I was joyful with what I did. It was no different than what I thought would make him easier to hit.

After the rematch, Fury is targeting a trilogy with Usyk, as well as Anthony Joshua or possibly Dubois given he holds the IBF title. Discussing his struggles with retirement, Fury confessed: “I tried to leave many times, but to no avail,” also stating: “I meant it when I retired following Dillian Whyte’s departure in 2022. I truly meant it with all my heart. “I could put my hands on the Bible and honestly say it. But it was very demanding for me to let go of it, so I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to let it go. What brings me back to the ring? Victory, belts and we move on. This is what I do.”