A female referee has caused uproar following a controversial in-ring act during an undercard fight on the Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley 2 bill.

A championship rematch between Dubois and Wardley topped a Queensberry Promotions event at London's O2 Arena on Saturday.

And Dubois successfully defended his WBO world heavyweight title in stunning style. He stopped his rival in the second round after putting on a destructive performance.

Elsewhere on the card, Louie O'Doherty and Michael Gomez Jr. fought to a majority draw for the British and Commonwealth lightweight titles, amateur sensation Bakhodir Jalolov outpointed Solomon Dacres in a drab affair and Adam Olaniyan stopped Dan Garber in their heavyweight contest.

But the clash between Olaniyan and Garber will be remembered for the referee's controversial in-ring decision after a towel was thrown in.

Referee Kicks Towel Out of Ring

Irish starlet Olaniyan was making a swift return to action, having fought on Katie Taylor's Croke Park farewell fight. He was matched against veteran Garber, who was making his seventh appearance of the year.

The 20-year-old made a blistering start and continued his onslaught in the second round, dropping Garber. As the 41-year-old tried to get back to his feet with the count reaching eight, his corner threw in the towel — which is done to call off the fight.

Referee Amy Pu, who was the first woman to become a professional boxing referee in the UK, took matters into her own hands and inexplicably kicked the towel out of the ring, allowing the fight to continue.

Olaniyan rushed in for the kill and floored Garber, which was followed immediately by his team chucking in the towel for a second time.

Pu refused to acknowledge the towel and instead continued to bring the count to Garber before she eventually waved off the contest.

Boxing Fans Slam Referee for Kicking Towel Out of Ring

Moments after Garber was defeated, he received oxygen ringside, prompting fans to bemoan Pu's decision for him to take unnecessary damage.

Under the British Boxing Board of Control regulations, referees are technically allowed to refuse the towel being thrown in to stop a fight, but Pu's decision to drag out Olaniyan vs Garber didn't go down well online.

GIVEMESPORT's Nasir Jabbar wrote: "Amy Pu should never be allowed to ref a fight again. Not one but two towels. That’s actually a disgrace."

A second said: "If you hire a ref from Temu this is what you get," while a third added: "Shouldn't be near a pro bout again."

A fourth exclaimed: "She just doesn't know the rules."

Another slammed: "Amy Pu has to be the worst referee in world boxing. Gets way too involved, tries to be the star of the show and ends up making horrendous calls."