Russia’s Anastasiia Beliakova (C) fights USA’s Mikaela Joslin Mayer during the Women’s Light (57-60kg) Quarterfinal 3 match at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Riocentro – Pavilion 6 in Rio de Janeiro on August 15, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Yuri CORTEZ
A highly respected coach for the United States boxing team lashed out at the “crazy” judging at the Rio Olympics after an American medal hope crashed out on points on Monday.
The lightweight Mikaela Mayer suffered defeat in front of a mostly anti-American crowd to the Russian Anastasiia Beliakova, prompting an angry Billy Walsh to say of his fighter: “She was excellent and I thought she did enough to win it.”
“To be honest, I am just having a look at the judging — it was crazy. Are they looking at the same bloody fight (as one another) or what?” asked the Irishman.
The official scorecard showed one of the judges made it level while two others gave the Russian the fight.
Mayer, 26, who saw the lightweight competition open up after reigning champion Katie Taylor suffered a stunning loss earlier in the day, was more circumspect and said she realised the result of the quarter-final clash was going to be a nail-biter.
“It really hasn’t kicked in yet but definitely disappointed,” she said.
“I thought I might have pulled it off at the end but I also knew that it was close and this is boxing.
“If you let a fight get that close, you never know who they are going to give it to.”
Olympic boxing has dumped the controversial punch-counting scoring method that threw up numerous controversies down the years in favour of a judging system like that used in pro men’s boxing.