- Delicious Orie out of super heavyweight event at 2024 Olympics
- The British team, which was hoping for a medal, Orie, was defeated by Davit Chaloyan by split decision
- But many boxing fans disagreed with the result and vented their fury online.
British boxer Delicious Orie pulled out of the super-heavyweight event at the 2024 Olympics on Monday night amid controversy.
The 27-year-old, who was born in Russia before moving to England aged seven, had been regarded as a strong medal hope for Team GB.
But he was defeated by Davit Chaloyan after the judges scored the fight 3-2 in favor of the Armenian.
Orie was left in shock after the result was announced. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “I’m completely devastated, but I have to accept it and move on.”
“For the past eight years I have always dreamed of winning a gold medal at the Olympics and now it has been taken away from me. I feel like I have let myself and my family down.”
Delicious Orie pictured (right) during his fight against Davit Chaloyan (left) at Paris 2024
Orie raised his right hand at the end of the fight and seemed to believe he had won.
But Orie was stunned when it was announced that his opponent had won by three votes to two.
Orie added: “I can’t believe it because I’m sure I’ve done enough. It’s too early to start saying it’s unfair, although I do feel wronged.”
Many fans watching the match from home were also convinced that the referees had made a mistake.
“This is absolutely disgusting,” fumed one fan. “Team GB must lodge a complaint.”
“There’s no way Delicious Orie would have lost that fight. Olympic boxing is corrupt!”
Elsewhere on social media, the result was described as “a robbery”.
One tweet read: “Delicious Orie has just been stolen from Davit Chaloyan. This is an absolute disgrace.”
Meanwhile, someone tweeted an eight-year-old video of Irish boxer Michael Conlan saying: “Amateur boxing stinks from the bottom up.”
Chaloyan will now fight Spain’s Ayoub Ghadfa in the quarter-finals of the 92kg event on Friday.
Great Britain is the third most successful nation in Olympic boxing history with 20 gold medals to date.