Ilir Latifi was declared the winner shortly after a fairly uneventful three round bout against Emanuel Newton, but once the score cards were reviewed again, Emanuel Newton was declared the just winner. Once the cards were settled, the judges officially scored the bout for Newton 29-28, 30-27, and 29-28.
The Shark Fights 17 aired live on HDNet on Friday night. The pro Alabanian-Swede crowd consistently cheered “LATIFI” during the bout in Texas, but the slow pace of the fight worked in Newton’s favor as he was seen as the agressor. While no significant damage was inflicted on either side, Latifi did land some power shots in round three, but it wasn’t enough for the Imperial Athletics trained fighter that fought uncharacteristically conservative. Round one and two saw Latifi backing-up and not engaging with the American fighter.
