"Tony Weeks needs his license revoked" - Boxing referee faces massive fan outrage over "awful" stoppage in Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Fredrick Lawson

Controversy ensued on Jan. 6 at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada as referee Tony Weeks was slammed by the boxing world for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. Vs. Fredrick Lawson stoppage.

On Jan. 6, the two athletes competed in a 10-round junior middleweight bout. Coming into the fight, Ortiz Jr. was undefeated with a professional record of 19-0. Lawson, on the other hand, was riding a two-fight win streak.

The fight proved to be a short-lived affair as the undefeated boxer got his opponent against the ropes and started throwing punches at him. The 34-year-old did not look as if he was in too much trouble but Weeks stepped in and stopped the fight, resulting in a first-round knockut victory for Ortiz Jr.

As reported by Bad Left Hook, the referee justified his actions saying that he stepped in after seeing Lawson's eyes roll back after he took a punch.

Boxing fans did not take kindly to Weeks' actions and took to social media to share their thoughts on the stoppage.

One person called the stoppage 'horrible' and argued that Lawson was just taking his time to fight back.

"Horrible stoppage. In round 1? Lawson was just covering up waiting for [Ortiz Jr.] to stop throwing. Boxing is getting even worse."

Another individual asked for Weeks' refereeing license to be revoked after the Jan. 6 fight.

"Tony Weeks needs his licence revoked, consistent bad calls."

Check out a compilation of some of the comments below:

Boxing fans criticize Tony Weeks for the stoppage

This is not the first time Weeks has faced backlash for a fight. Last year in May, the referee was in the ring for the Rolly Romero vs. Ismael Barroso fight. The contest ended in a ninth-round knockout for Romero but many criticized Weeks, saying that the referee had stopped the fight to soon.