Olympic Temper Tantrum! French Super Heavyweight Mourad Aliev DQ, Stages One Hour Ring Protest Sit-In
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Updated Boxing Report, 2020 Olympic Games, XXXII Olympiad
Being Held July 23, 2021, to August 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, Japan (August 2nd, 2021)– In the last Olympic amateur bout of the afternoon of Sunday, August 1, 2021, Olympic super heavyweight quarterfinal, with the winner going on for a chance at Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Mourad Aliev of France was disqualified by referee Andy Muccachio for head butting in the second round of a bout he was apparently winning on the Olympic scorecards against Frazer Clarke of Great Britain, who now advanced to the Olympic Super Heavyweight (+ 91 Kilograms) semifinal round of four.
“It’s totally unfair! I was winning the match! I was stopped without any warning, and they just told me that you lost, just like that. So I think it was an act of sabotage! I prepared my whole life for this event! So getting mad for something like that is natural.” complained Aliev, 26, screaming in the ring, kicking his mouth guard, and shaking his fingers one of the television cameras after the disqualification ended his Olympic medal dreams for France. Aliev then made offensive hand gestures inside the ring. When Clarke tried to shake hands afterwards, Aliev argued with Clarke instead to try to provoke him, then shook his fingers into a live camera, disputing the outcome in disagreement. Aliev sat in the ring for 30 minutes in protest for what he regarded as an unfair outcome.
After speaking with French officials and leaving the ring for 15 minutes, Aliev then returned and resumed his sit-in. While Aliev has the right of appeal, and can do so within a timely manner, it is not known whether he will appeal the controversial outcome, or even if he can appeal an Olympic disqualification. Aliev, who previously beat Clarke in amateur competition on June 8, 2021, elsewhere, claimed he did not know Mucchachio could disqualify him and for what.
Clarke, who has cuts near both of his eyes after winning the DQ bout, noted “I felt there were a couple of heads (head butt contacts between us initiated by Aliev during the bout) going in there. Whether it (the head butts) were intentional or not, it’s not for me to say. I told (tried to tell) Aliev afterwards to calm down. You are not thinking with your head. You are thinking with your heart. I know it is hard, but the best thing to do (under the circumstances which evolved) is (to) go back to the changing room (and let it go). These things happen. I’ve had a lot of downs in my career. This is a down for him (Aliev). I know him. He’s a good person. I believe he will be a champion (amateur or professional world champion one day in the future).”
Clark will now face Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in a semifinal super heavyweight match on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, with the winner advancing to the super heavyweight finals round and a chance to win the Olympic Super Heavyweight gold medal for their country. In the other super heavyweight semifinal that day, Richard Torrez Jr. of the United States will face Kamshybek Kunkabayev of Kazakhstan.
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