Indian boxer Nishant Dev, who was eliminated in the quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics, has voiced his frustration over what he perceives as controversial judging decisions in his bout against Mexico’s Marco Verde. Dev, who had high hopes for gold, expressed disappointment over the outcome, questioning the fairness of the scoring.
In the men’s 71kg boxing quarter-finals, Nishant Dev faced Marco Verde, ultimately losing the match with a score of 1-4. Despite showing dominance in the initial rounds, Dev was unable to secure a favorable decision from the judges. The first round was scored in Dev’s favor, but the subsequent rounds saw Verde declared the winner.
The 23-year-old Indian boxer believed he had the potential to win gold and was confident in his abilities, citing a previous victory over Verde. Dev expressed discontent with the judging, claiming that his performance was undermined by poor decision-making.
“I was viewing myself as a gold medallist because I had defeated him earlier too and I defeated him in this particular fight too. But the judges had a different point of view,” Nishant told ANI. He further added, “This should not happen to any athlete in the next Olympics… IOC should take note of poor judging decisions and take some action.”
Dev led the first round decisively, but the match began to shift in Verde’s favor in the following rounds. Despite Nishant’s aggressive approach and effective jabs, the judges’ decisions were split in the second round, awarding Verde a narrow 3-2 margin. The third round saw Verde unanimously favored by all judges, leading to his overall victory.
Nishant’s reaction highlights broader concerns about the transparency and fairness of Olympic judging. His call for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to review the scoring reflects a desire for improved fairness and accuracy in future competitions.
