Paris Olympics 2024: Indian Boxer Nishant Dev QF Match Controversy
Indian boxer Nishant Dev’s journey to the Paris Olympics ended with a defeat in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Competing in the 71 kg category, Nishant performed tremendously and reached the quarterfinals. Nishant had the lead in the quarterfinals, but at the end of the match, he suffered a defeat in a straight match against Mexico’s Marco Verde Alvarez. Nishant was just one win away from sealing a medal for India. The Mexican boxer won the quarter-final match 4-1 to secure his medal at the Paris Olympics.
The 23-year-old World Championship bronze medalist, Nishant Dev, had defeated Alvarez at the 2021 World Championships. Nishant won the first round of the quarterfinals at the Olympics. In the second round as well, he showed complete control of the fight, landing several powerful jab hooks on the Mexican boxer. However, the judges surprisingly scored the round 3-1 in Alvarez’s favor.
Paris Olympics 2024: Did the Umpires Lean Towards the Mexican Player in Nishant Dev’s Match?
Alvarez started the final round aggressively, landing several punches. The Indian boxer missed a few punches and as the bout progressed, he looked completely exhausted. Nishant tried to throw punches, but he was slow. Alvarez took advantage of this to win. After Nishant’s loss in the Olympics, people have been accusing the umpires of bias on social media. Beijing Olympics medal-winning boxer Vijender Singh wrote on X, “I don’t know what the scoring system is but I think this match was very close. He plays very well.” All Indian fans, including Vijender Singh, are seen sharing their opinions on Nishant Dev’s match decision on social media.
Nishant Dev’s Coach Statement on QF Match Result
Not only social media, but Nishant’s coaches also commented on the umpires’ decision. Speaking to India Today, his coach Surinder Kumar said, “From our point of view, he was winning the first round, and he was winning the second round as well, but the umpires did not rule in his favor. Even in the third round, we can say that it was a close fight. Both boxers scored well.”
The reporter asked Nishant’s coach if he should have blocked the point. On this, the coach said, “Yes, that point should have been blocked. The Mexican player should have been warned. The opponent would have been mentally exhausted and Nishant would have taken the lead. The Mexican boxer made the same mistake in all three rounds. He was hitting the head, clinching. This is the boxer’s loss because he didn’t just want to fight one round, he wanted to play another third round as well.”
Surinder Kumar said that there will be no protest against the result of the match and that he has accepted the defeat. The coach said, “No, we have not thought of protesting against this decision. We have accepted this. Alexander won. He was a good boxer from Mexico. Not that good, but okay. We fought a really good fight. There was a fight between them both. They should have kept their distance. Actually, Wardeshi had fought against Nishant earlier. In 2021, Nishant defeated him one-sidedly in a match.”
