London: Indian boxer Manoj Kumar (64kg) cried "cheating" as he made a controversial exit from the Olympics, losing a thrilling pre-quarterfinal bout to home favourite Thomas Stalker at the ExCel Arena here.
The 26-year-old Manoj fought well but appeared to be distinctly unlucky not to get points as the British boxer managed a 20-16 victory last night to move into the quarterfinals.
"It doesn`t look fair because he was going in one direction and the scores 7-4 and 9-4 to him don`t justify that," the dejected Commonwealth Games gold-medallist said after the loss.
"It doesn`t look like an Olympic Games but more like a district competition because if it`s Great Britain in the ring it doesn`t matter who`s against them. It`s like a district competition where there`s lots of cheating, cheating, cheating," he added.
Stalker won the first round 7-4 and maintained his lead by winning the second round 9-5. The Indian then launched an all out attack in the third and last round which he claimed 7-4 but some debatable judging ultimately saw him leave the arena disappointed.
The Indian camp understandably was furious with the decision and strongly felt that Manoj was at the receiving end of some dubious point calls.
India`s Cuban coach Blas Iglesias Fernandez said Manoj should have won the other two rounds as well as he fought in the same manner.
"The last round was 7-4 (to Kumar). Why no other rounds? All rounds were the same. It was very poor judging," he said.
On whether his boxer was "robbed", Fernandez said "I think so."
National coach Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu said "My athlete was extraordinary. You saw for yourself what happened. Why don`t you write what you want?"
Stalker, on the other hand, said he was happy with the result but felt he did not box as well as he could.
"All I wanted to do was fight. In my next bout I know I will do better. I felt sluggish after the first round. Being in my hotel for the last week hasn`t done me any good," Stalker said.
"I just wanted to get the first fight out of the way. The fans got me through it. Being an Olympian is special. It was a tough fight and I felt I didn`t really box too well but a win is a win," he said.
"I felt like I needed to move my feet a bit more. The last round was not good. I think I went a bit more negative in the last round when I could have been more positive."
On his opponent questioning the judges` decision, he said "I have had fights when I thought I had won by more than I eventually won by. I just leave it to the judges. I would like to thank everyone who supported me."
The Indians have been at the wrong side of judges at the ongoing Games, losing a protest filed against Sumit Sangwan`s (81kg) first-round exit. Later, Vikas Krishan (69kg) was ousted despite being declared a winner initially after his American opponent won an appeal against his triumph.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.