Nishant Dev
Indian boxer Nishant Dev lost the quarterfinal bout after a devastating split verdict defeat to Mexico’s Marco Verde Alvarez in his debut Olympic campaign in Paris.
Nishant was one win away from assuring himself a medal for India. However, he was left in utter disbelief after his debut Olympic campaign in Paris ended in heartbreak.
The 23-year-old world championship bronze medalist had defeated Alvarez in the 2021 World Championships. He won the opening round with ease and looked in complete control of the bout in the second round as well, where he landed a streak of massive jab hooks on the Mexican. However, the judges surprisingly sided with Alvarez in that round, putting him 3-2 ahead in the tie.
The judgement did not sit well with fans on social media as they accused the judges of denying India an assured medal at the Paris Olympics.
2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Singh was also shocked at the scoring system in the bout.
“I don’t know what’s the scoring system, but I think very close fight..he played so well..koi na bhai #NishantDev,” wrote Vijender on social media account X (earlier known as Twitter).