A boxing referee was left with egg on his face at the end of Shokichi Iwata’s world title clash with Rene Santiago.

Iwata defended his WBO light-flyweight belt against underdog Santiago on home soil in Japan, looking to extend his winning streak to six fights.

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The referee left Santiago baffled by raising Iwata’s hand[/caption]

The home and crowd favourite was expected to be victorious, but faced a stubborn resolve from his Puerto Rican rival.

Santiago took a back-foot approach using the distance well and boxing comfortably from range.

Despite flash points in third and ninth round, two storms which Santiago weathered, it was clear the underdog had done enough to score a huge upset.

The fight went to the judges scorecards, with the boxing fraternity expecting that a new champion would be crowned.

But that isn’t exactly how it played out in the ring, as the referee held both fighters hands ready to raise the one of the victor.

There was a clear language barrier, and the referee elected to raise the hand of the Iwata as the announcer read out the decision.

It placed confusion on the faces of both fighters and their teams, as well as the official who wasn’t quite sure he’d done the right thing.

Santiago then realised he had won when his nickname was announced, and he raised his own hands in the air.

The referee signalled to Santiago as if confirming he had won, despite having hold of the defending champion’s hand.

Despite the confusion, the Puerto Rican had realised he’d become an unlikely world champion and celebrated wildly with his corner.

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Santiago realised he’s won despite the referee’s error[/caption]

Iwata was left shocked and despite the decision seeming obvious to all those in the arena, the referee knew none the wiser.

It was a hugely embarrassing and awkward moment for the referee, who then left the situation and allowed Santiago to celebrate with his team.

Santiago can now hope to go on to big things, planning to take some time off and consider his next options.

He said: “I want to thank god and thank the country of Japan for having me. I’m ready to bring my belt back home.

“I was fully prepared for this bout against Iwata, we had a gameplay which we executed to perfection.

“I want to take a good rest and figure out what the next step is, but I’d love to come back to Japan.”