noun
referee stoppage
Used in boxing and other combat sports when the referee stops the fight. Wasei-eigo from English 'referee stop'.
wasei-eigo (Japanese-coined English), from referee stop
試合はレフェリーストップで終わった。
The match ended by referee stoppage.
Variant with interpunct; less common but seen in some publications.
TKO is a technical knockout decided by the referee or doctor, while レフェリーストップ is the act of the referee stopping the fight, which may lead to a TKO.
Wasei-eigo from English 'referee stop'. The interpunct variant reflects the original two-word phrase.