BOXING fans may have seen the last of former world champion Luis Lazarte, at least as far as the International Boxing Federation (IBF) is concerned.

On Thursday, the boxing body banned for life the ageing Argentine, a one-time junior flyweight title holder, from seeing action in any IBF-sanctioned bouts in the wake of the scary riot that marred his championship match against Filipino Jonriel Casimero last week at Mar Del Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The IBF made the decision in response to Lazarte’s threat to kill referee Eddie Claudio shortly after deducting a point against him in the sixth round of the scheduled 12-round bout.

After Claudio deducted him a point, Lazarte looked at the ring official and said, in Spanish, “Do you want to make it out here alive?”

The remark was clearly heard during the broadcast of the fight aired by Argentine network TyC.

IBF president Daryl Peoples wrote Argentina Boxing Federation Osvaldo Bisbal to inform him about the harsh decision.

“There is one measure that we are taking into our own hands and that we will enforce,” Peoples wrote. “As a result of Luis Lazarte threatening the life of referee Eddie Claudio while receiving a points deduction in the sixth round, Lazarte is banned from being involved in any capacity in any IBF-related fight that takes place in Argentina or around the world.”

“I believe that I do not have to express to you that Lazarte's threat to Claudio, which can be clearly heard in the telecast, is completely unacceptable, should not be taken lightly and merits punishment. Behavior of this nature by a fighter is not and will not be tolerated by the IBF.”

Casimero knocked down Lazarte twice in the ninth round, and was in the midst of punishing the Argentine in the 10th round when Claudio stepped in and stopped the fight, handing the Filipino the interim IBF junior-flyweight crown.

Before the decision was even announced, bottles and chairs were thrown into the ring by the frenzied crowd, angered by the loss of their hometown favorite, eventually escalating into a full-blown riot.