19 hours ago
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Joey Essex's MisFits Boxing debut has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after the reality TV star survived a chaotic four-round scrap to beat Portuguese prankster Numeiro on points.
The 33-year-old, coached by his uncle Tony Sims, looked set for an easy night after starting strongly in Manchester.
But by the fourth and final round, Essex was staggering around the ring, barely able to lift his hands as his exhausted opponent piled forward.
At one stage, Essex was even given a standing count by the referee before clinging on to hear the final bell.
Two judges awarded him the fight, while the third scored it a draw, handing the Only Way is Essex star a narrow split decision victory.
When his name was announced, Essex collapsed to the canvas in tears as the crowd roared — but many watching at home were left less than impressed.
Joey Essex (right) made his MisFits Boxing debut on Saturday against prankster Numeiro (left)
The fight took place at Manchester's AO Arena as part of Misfits Boxing 22: Ring of Thrones
Essex won via a split decision but many viewers were far from impressed by his performance
Footage of the pair wildly swinging at each other quickly spread across social media, with boxing fans describing it as both hilarious and painful to watch.
One viewer wrote: 'That Joey Essex fight might be the best and worst thing I've ever seen.'
Another joked: 'Are the refs on MisFits cards celebrities as well? They can't be real boxing refs. This Joey Essex fight was hilarious in the best possible way.'
Others were far less charitable. 'For the love of God, never let Joey Essex fight again. That was absolutely atrocious,' fumed one fan.
Another admitted: 'In terms of boxing skill that was by far the worst boxing match I've seen in 20 years of watching the sport. But I loved it and want to see a rematch.'
A different user added bluntly: 'He was awful. Robbery. Credit to them both for stepping in the ring — but both were pretty terrible. Fun to watch though.'
The fight, staged on the MisFits 22 undercard, was anything but polished.
Essex opened with a stiff jab and overhand rights, even forcing a standing count in round three after landing cleanly. But Numeiro, whose real name is Joao Barbosa, showed his durability and came back strong, leaving Essex clinging on in the final session.
Despite the criticism, Essex celebrated wildly at the result and was congratulated at ringside by professional boxer Conor Benn.
