"A biased result in a biased sport" - Netizens slam boxing judges after Amit Panghal's defeat at the Paris Olympics 2024
Indian boxer Amit Panghal lost against Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba in the Round of 16 match of the men’s 51 kg boxing event of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Tuesday, July 30. Despite a feisty performance from the Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Chinyemba had the upper hand in the bout and won the match 4:1 on points.
Following Panghal’s loss, Indian fans took to social media to express their frustration with the judges, who were termed ‘biased’ for their scoring of the Indian pugilist.
“A biased result in a biased sport. Amit Panghal fought equally well. I don’t understand how he didn’t win even one round,” one fan wrote on the social media platform X.
“#AmitPanghal you fought well and hard, but you cannot fight with the prejudiced judges. You won our hearts and the game too,” another fan with similar feelings said.
Another fan went to the extreme and said that Panghal was ‘robbed’ by the judges, writing:
“Amit Panghal was clearly robbed by that Canadian and Kazakhstani judge. He clearly won Round 1 and Round 3. This judges point system in Boxing is a complete scam.”
Several fans also expressed confusion at the low scoring of the Indian boxer, with one writing:
“I can't believe this. I can never believe how the judges give point? Amit clearly got better connections but still loses first round.”
“Don't Know what the rules are, but the commentators are confident in the first round that Amit panghal will win. Seems Referees are biased,” wrote another fan.
One fan expressed their heartbreak at the Indian boxing contingent’s bad luck when it comes to draws and judge’s decisions in their favor, writing:
“Boxer Amit Panghal loses his bout 4-1... It's my personal opinion I don't think he was losing it one sided.. it was pretty equal bout.. could've been anyone's way.. But the DRAW... JUDGES... Always... Always…”
Amit Panghal crashes out of Paris 2024 Olympics after heartbreaking loss
After the Paris 2024 Olympics boxing draws were revealed, Indian fans were hopeful about Panghal’s chances of securing a podium finish, as the boxer had gotten a bye in the first round and faced Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba in the second round. Panghal had previously defeated Chinyemba in a dominant performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
However, on Tuesday, Chinyemba started the game on the front foot and never let go, with Panghal struggling to land punches on his opponent. The Zambian boxer won all the rounds quite convincingly. Chinyemba will now face Cape Verde’s Daniel Varela de Pina in the quarter-finals.
The Indian boxing contingent will continue its medal push on Tuesday with Jaismine Lamboria (women’s 57 kg) and Preeti Pawar (women’s 54 kg) in action later.