Indian boxer Nishant Dev expressed his disappointment after losing the men’s 71kg quarterfinal match in the Paris Olympics against Mexico’s Marco Verde Alvarez 1-4 despite fighting strongly throughout the clash. Nishant’s debut Olympic campaign ended on Sunday after judges declared the Mexican winner. The Indian boxer performed better than his opponent in the first two rounds while the last round was evenly contested.

The 23-year-old World Championship bronze medallist, who had previously defeated Alvarez in the 2021 World Championships, dominated the opening round and appeared in complete control during the second round, delivering a series of powerful jab hooks on the Mexican. However, the judges surprisingly awarded the second round to Alvarez, putting him ahead 3-2 in the tie.

In the final round, Alvarez started aggressively, landing a combination of punches. The Indian managed to duck and evade some of them but appeared exhausted as the bout progressed. Despite his attempts to throw punches, Nishant was slow, allowing Alvarez to capitalise and secure the win.

Nishant said he couldn’t fathom that he lost the match and alleged bias on the part of the judges for his loss.

“I had defeated him (Alvarez) three years back and I was very confident in the fight. I can’t believe that I lost the fight. This feeling is killing me from the inside. The point system is very bad. In the 2012 Olympics, the scoring was very clear that the boxer would get a point for hitting a punch. But after that the new 10-9 scoring came, I’m not happy with this as judges decide who will win the match,” the Indian boxer told IANS on Tuesday.

“No one can feel the sorrow of an athlete. The same happened with me in Italy when the result wasn’t in my favour despite the strong third round. I want the IOC to look into such decisions and make improvements,” he added.

India’s boxing campaign in Paris ended on Sunday after Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain lost to China’s Li Qian 1-4 in the women’s 75kg quarterfinal at North Paris Arena.

Six Indian boxers earned quotas for the Paris Olympics including four women and two men.