Great Britain boxer Delicious Ory feels his Olympic gold medal was “snatched” from him after losing a split decision to David Chaloyan.
In the men's super heavyweight division, it was a cautious start with Chaloyan throwing a few powerful hooks, but Ori took control with a powerful jab as the round went on.
The next round was a tighter contest, with the Armenian looking stronger, but Ori continued to perform well. Ori landed explosive punches in the final round, including a nice right hook to Chaolyan's face.
Delicious Orie was one of Team GB's leading boxing medal contenders.
But his Olympic hopes were ended with a 3-2 defeat on points, meaning Britain has now lost all four of its matches and is down to just two boxers qualified for the Olympics.
“I can't believe it,” Ori admitted. “I'm really upset. I've been dreaming of Olympic gold for the past eight years, and it's been taken away from me.
“It could have been me, it could have been the judges, but that's what happened. I feel like I let myself and my family down.”
Did the duck try hard enough to win?
Duck is the latest British boxer to be knocked out early in a controversial manner, following Rosie Eccles and Charlie Davidson who lost by the same margin in their respective weight classes.
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Geraint Hughes explains why Team GB's Charlie Davidson and Rosie Eccles were controversially excluded from boxing at the Olympics.
Sky Sports News Officials were said to be furious at the clash between Eccles and Davidson over the first two days of action, and have asked the England team for their opinion.
“I'm not a judge so I can't tell you which way it went,” Ori added. “It's too early to say I was treated unfairly or fairly. Whatever. I think I was treated a little unfairly. It was very close and I felt like I did enough.
The ducks thought they were good enough to win the fight and advance to the quarterfinals.
“You could say the same thing about Rosie, you could say the same thing about Charlie. So I knew I had to be strong and hard-working, but at the same time I didn't want to overcommit.
“That was the outcome, and I had no choice but to accept it with both hands and move on.”
Eccles and Davidson also leave Team GB
Eccles was left in tears on Sunday after her controversial defeat to Poland's Aneta Rigielska, which she said was “absolutely devastating”. The Welsh boxer, who missed the Tokyo Olympics three years ago due to illness and injury, was eliminated by a 3-2 split decision that drew boos and jeers at the North Paris Arena.
Rosie Eccles suffered an early exit in the women's 66kg event.
“Boxers know when they've won a fight,” Eccles said, briefly holding back tears at ringside. “I was really, really shocked because I knew I won the fight. It's like a dream, but it's not that big of a dream.”
“I started slow and picked up steam towards the end but it wasn’t enough,” said Davidson, who lost a split decision to former world champion Hatice Akbar in his opening bout. “I turned up the pressure in the second and third rounds and got a couple of shots in and out. What more could I have done?”
There are now two Team GB boxers left for the Olympics. Middleweight Chantel Reid faces Morocco’s Khadija Mardi (2023 world champion) on Wednesday, while light middleweight Louise Richardson faces Serbia’s Bakid Abasov in the round of 16 that evening.
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