Olympic dreams may have been shattered but it’s not the end of the road for those boxers whose hopes of a gold medal at Rio 2016 were torn apart by contentious judging.
The subject will still be burning in the minds of Irish fans who were shocked to see Michael Conlan’s hands remain at his hips as Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin was declared the victor in the quarter-finals of the men’s bantamweight division.
It appeared to be a pretty routine victory for the Belfast boxer, who did not hold back in his condemnation of AIBA in the immediate wake of his defeat.
Conlan is not the only boxer who has been on the wrong end of some controversial decisions in Rio, with Russian Evgeny Tishchenko claiming a gold medal in the heavyweight division despite the fact that most spectators saw the bout in favour of Kazakhstan’s Vassiliy Levit.
Gary Russell’s loss to Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnararov and Katie Taylor’s defeat to Mira Potkonen both also raised eyebrows in recent days.
Several unnamed judges were sent home from the Olympics after their decisions were deemed to be “not at the level expected,” although the results stood.
Boxing judges removed from Rio Olympics due to disputed results, AIBA announce https://t.co/eYQ7zAE8u8
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 17, 2016
Evander Holyfield is no stranger to controversy at the Olympics as he was forced to settle for bronze at the 1984 Games when he was disqualified in the second round of his semi-final.
Holyfield, who went on to become an all time great of the heavyweight division after turning pro just months after his Olympic DQ, has issued a message of hope to the fighters at Rio 2016 who have been, for want of a better term, screwed over by judges.
Keep a GOOD ATTITUDE despite unfair rulings. You never know who is watching and where it will take you. #RealDeal pic.twitter.com/F2c1qZ99vH
— Evander Holyfield (@holyfield) August 17, 2016
We couldn’t agree more.
On the latest episode of the GAA Hour Hurling Show Wooly and the lads reflect on a monumental weekend of action. Listen below or subscribe here on iTunes
