New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) For a sport that relies on a simple exchange of blows to decide the winner, boxing has an incredibly complex scoring system.
And every Olympics, the debate, the rage, and the incredulousness surrounding what exactly the judges are observing to decide the winner becomes louder, and more intense.
The latest case in point is India’s Nishant Dev, who lost 1-4 to Mexico’s Marco Verde Alvarez in the 71kg quarterfinal despite seemingly dominating the contest.
He isn’t the first and if boxing’s stakeholders continue to avoid introspection, he won’t be the last or perhaps, he could be among the last in the Olympics at least. The sport’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 edition is not yet guaranteed and the opaque scoring system isn’t helping the cause.
“These Olympics have been horrendous,” declared Michael Conlan, the Irish superstar, whose famous expletive-laden tirade against judges after losing in the 2016 Rio quarterfinals is considered one of the most defining images of the state of the sport.
Conlan, who turned professional after being “robbed” in Rio, has commented on just one bout at the ongoing Games in Paris and by the look of it, his disgust for the amateur scoring system is intact.
In the Tokyo 2020 Games, it was the iconic M C Mary Kom, who left the ring perplexed when she lost a pre-quarterfinal bout despite actually leading in terms of rounds won.
“The worst part is that there is no review or protest. Honestly, I am sure the world must have seen, this is too much what they have done,” she had told
Source: PTI News
