Nishant Dev, the 23-year-old Indian boxer, experienced a bittersweet Olympic debut in the men’s 71kg quarterfinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Facing Mexico’s Marco Verde Alvarez, Nishant fought valiantly but ultimately suffered a devastating split verdict defeat, losing 1-4.
Nishant Dev dominates the majority of the match
In the early rounds, Nishant showcased his prowess, using straight jabs effectively to tire his opponent. Despite Alvarez’s lethal right hook and left, Nishant maintained dominance. However, the judges favoured the Mexican by a narrow margin, leading to a 3-2 score in Alvarez’s favour.
Entering the final round, Alvarez intensified his attacks, while Nishant appeared fatigued. Despite his efforts, Nishant couldn’t secure victory. Alvarez acknowledged the tough bout and expressed respect for his opponent’s technical skills.
However, Nishant’s loss did not sit well with a certain section of users on social media as they claimed the umpiring was unfair and that India was “robbed off” a medal.
BREAKING:
Boxing: Nishant Dev gave his absolute best before going down to 2nd seed Mexican pugilist by split verdict (1:4) in QF. #Boxing #Paris2024 #Paris2024withIAS pic.twitter.com/aVZ3gzMctu
— India_AllSports (@India_AllSports) August 3, 2024
Nishant Dev’s coach Surinder Kumar downplayed the claims of any unfair judgment during the quarter-final match at the Paris Olympics 2024.
“In our eyes, he was winning the first round, and he was winning the second round as well, but the judges didn’t give it to him. Even in the third round, we can say it was a neck-to-neck fight. The scoring was good by both boxers,” Nishant’s coach said
