Referee Andy Mustachew ruled out Aleph, four seconds after the end of the second round of fighting in the quarter-finals of the +91 kg tournament, considering that the French deliberately hit his British opponent Fraser Clark, who sustained injuries near his eyes.
French boxer Murat Aliyev spent about an hour sitting motionless outside the ring in protest of the referee’s decision to disqualify him from the Olympic heavyweight championship at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Referee Andy Mustachew ruled out Aleph, four seconds after the end of the second round of fighting in the championship quarter-finals +91 kg, considering that the French deliberately hit his British opponent Fraser Clark, who sustained an eye injury.
After being disqualified, Murat Aliyev sat outside the ring, next to the steps and remained still for about half an hour, until competition officials and team officials questioned him.
“This was my way of showing that the decision was unfair,” the boxer said, adding, “I have trained all my life to be here and because of the referee’s decision I lost.”
After speaking to the officers, Aliyev abandoned the protest, but returned soon after, remaining in the same place and location for another 15 minutes.
Clarke, who went to the semi-finals and already won at least the bronze medal, considered the punishment fair and said he asked his opponent to “think with his head”.
And the Briton explained: “If it was on purpose, it is not for me to say, I asked Aliyev to think with his head and not with my heart and told him that the best thing was to go to the dressing room.”
After the disqualification, the Frenchman, who said he had not been warned by the referee about his assault, protested loudly, shouting in a practically empty arena: “Everyone knows I won.”
Agatha Christie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, books, and current affairs. She is committed to producing accurate, informative content that helps readers stay informed about the latest developments in the UK and beyond.
