U.S. boxer advances to gold medal bout without fighting

The Russian boxer who claimed a controversial decision victory over Ireland’s Michael Conlan will reportedly not take part in the Olympic semi-finals.

Other fighters also entered the ring anxious about fairness after the heavyweight title fight and Conlan’s loss to Nikitin, who bled profusely from a cut on his scalp from a previous fight.

The remainder of the boxing at Rio 2016 will be overseen by Franco Falcinelli as AIBA have been forced to reassign their Executive Director. The Frenchman is also the CEO of the World Series of Boxing, a team-based professional league run by AIBA.

The Algerian Kheira Sidi Yakoub, who officiated on the controversial Evgeny Tishchenko heavyweight bout, and the Irishman Michael Gallagher are among those who have not appeared since the decision was taken.

“We would like to strongly restate that unless tangible proof is put forward, not rumours, we will continue to use any means, including legal or disciplinary actions, to protect our sport and its R&J community whose integrity is constantly put into question”.

AIBA responded by reviewing the questionable matches and then booting quite a few of the boxing judges and referees, no doubt hoping their action will suppress some of the anger now swirling around Rio Olympic boxing.

Conlan launched a four-letter tirade on judges after being sent packing by them in a quarter-final defeat to unfancied Vladimir Nikitin.

Stevenson will fight Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez Carrazana or Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev in the final.

The 2015 world champion joined Off The Ball’s Ger Gilroy to talk about the fallout from a fight which prevented him from winning as judges – inexplicably in most people’s eyes – awarded victory to Vladimir Nikitin of Russian Federation.

He is one of the most respected officials in the game.

Boxers are now judged on four criteria: good punches to the right areas; technique and tactics; aggressive but controlled boxing; and rules infringements. AIBA picks five judges to work each bout, and prohibits judges from a fighter’s country, or from a country in conflict with a fighter’s country, from working a fight.

United States coach Billy Walsh, who is Irish, joined in the criticism after his light-welterweight Gary Russell missed out on a medal when a split decision went to Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov.

“I haven’t seen it as bad since then”, he said noting that judges can be “very, very subjective”. What happened after that? The computer came into the equation.

Walsh suggested that the Olympics may need to go back to a computerized system of judging.

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