In case anyone is wondering, Timo Habighorst is the name of the referee officiating this fight.

It should be examined immediately.#KabayelKnyba

— MarkusB (@markusbthegoat) January 10, 2026

The first knockdown should be an intervention

At the beginning of the tenth round, Milas dropped Shala. The takedown itself was neat rather than explosive, but the problem was Shala’s reaction. He stood up without his legs under him, his balance was disturbed and his consciousness was dulled. Milas recognized it immediately. Instead of pushing forward, he turned towards judge Timo Habighorst and gestured that Shala was in trouble. Fighters rarely do this, especially heavyweights who sense a break. This signal alone should have prompted closer inspection.

Habighorst conducted a routine count and waved the fight away without any meaningful assessment. No long looks into Shala’s eyes. No pauses to check stability. The judge treated this moment as procedural, not medical.

A few seconds later, Milas stepped in with a tiny, controlled “1-2” punch. Shala fell again. This time the damage was unmistakable. Shala tried to get up by pulling himself up the ropes, his feet were slipping, there was no high guard, and his body was no longer responding in sequence. The signs were no longer subtle.

Referee Timo Habighorst experienced an absolute shock in the fight between Petar Milas and Granit Shala.

He could have stopped it after the first knockdown in the final round. Instead, he allowed Shala to continue and bring out the absolute madness in him rather than stop the fight.

— Anthony Cocks – Australian boxing writer (@el_pollo_loco) January 10, 2026

Ignoring a corner kick removes any remaining defense

As the count continued, Shala’s corner threw in the towel and headed to the ring. This is the final and purest signal in sports. The cornerback gave up responsibility because their man could no longer protect himself. Even then, Habighorst kept counting before finally stopping the fight.

By this point, all the safeguards had failed one by one. The opponent asked for intervention. The number of knockdowns was accumulating. The warrior’s physical condition was obvious. The corner came in. The judge still hesitated.

Milas emerged with a halftime victory and a 20-1 record. Shala left after taking a penalty that served no competitive purpose. The discussion about innings won or lost before ten is only relevant on paper. In the ring, an essential moment occurred when the referee refused to take action, even though all available information pointed in the same direction.

The way Habighorst conducted himself in this fight raised questions about the standards of refereeing and control in the ring. Judges have the license to make quick and uncomfortable decisions to prevent unnecessary harm. When these decisions are repeatedly put on hold, the inevitable question becomes: how does this man continue to be assigned to fights at this level?