IRISH boxing found itself at the centre of another major Olympic judging controversy after Daina Moorehouse bowed out of Paris 2024 at the hands of Frenchwoman Wassila Lkhadiri on Thursday night.
The Bray pocket rocket produced a classy performance to nullify the threat of Lkhadiri, who was roared on by a partisan crowd chanting ‘WA-SSI-LLLA, WA-SSI-LLLA’ inside North Paris Arena while Moorehouse was jeered into the ring.
As a result, even before the first bell sounded, there was a sense the Wicklow woman had more than just her opponent to beat.
Alarm bells began to ring when, despite dominating the first round on the back foot and timing her attacks beautifully, two of the five ringside judges scored in favour of Lkhadiri.
If ever there was a 5-0 round, this was it; anything else carries a stench worse than the Seine.
Lkhadiri started the second round strongly, landing a straight right through the guard, but Moorehouse battled back, a right hook sending the 31-year-old army sergeant stumbling backwards. Somehow this one went against Moorehouse, 4-1.
The third was more difficult to call, with the Frenchwoman landing eye-catching shots early on, only for Moorehouse to finish strongly, another late barrage forcing Lkhadiri onto the back foot.
Even before the result was announced, sending Lkhadiri into Saturday’s quarter-final after four of the judges went with her in the third, the outcome felt inevitable.
Irish head coach Zaur Antia spun around on the ring apron and threw his hands into the air.
“Anyone with eyes could see it was 5-0 every round,” snapped the Georgian, “but I knew after it was 3-2 in the first round…”
Before finishing that sentence he stomped away, shaking his head.
Up in the stands, coach Lynne McEnery and high performance director Tricia Heberle waved their arms in disgust. Plenty had questioned the judging in Aoife O’Rourke’s exit the night before, but this was on a different level altogether.
As the dust settled, so came the realisation that Azerbaijani judge Emil Gurbanaliyev awarded all three rounds to Lkhadiri. Questions have to be asked.
Yet at the centre of it all is a 22-year-old woman, picking up the pieces of an Olympic dream left broken while boxing continues to turn a blind eye.
“I don’t know, I didn’t feel when I was in there that I got beaten, but it’s different when you watch it back as well.
“I don’t think, I didn’t feel like when I was in there that I was losing. When you know you’re getting beaten, you’re getting beaten, but I definitely didn’t feel like I was losing.
“I knew they were going to boo me, I knew there would have been screams for her but I just knew if I performed and took it out of the judges’ hands that I would have got the decision… but I still did perform but didn’t take it out of the judges’ hands.
“I definitely feel like I didn’t take any big shots, even the shots I did take were just stupid jabs or like a stupid little hook over the top. But I don’t know - I definitely thought I was landing the harder shots, I was the busier boxer.”
Boxing is already heading into the championship rounds of a fight for its very Olympic existence, after years of politicking at the top of the sport saw it left off the provisional programme for Los Angeles 2028.
Nights like these do little to aid the cause for its retention.
“I don’t know - I actually don’t know what to say,” said Moorehouse.
“Some judging is okay, some judging is not. Some referees are just... I think you definitely have to take a look at the judges and the refs.
“It can be annoying at times but it’s not the first time either, I’ve been in situations like this but it is the first time performing at the Olympic Games… I am so proud of myself for even being here. That’s just it.”
Asked whether Ireland had any intention of registering an official complaint with the International Olympic Committee, Heberle replied: “We have no ability to complain about judging.
“But I am nothing but proud of this athlete. She completely controlled that fight. She moved the boxer around, she found openings, made great punches, head punches, body punches, combinations. That’s what I saw.”
Meanwhile, after an arduous wait, Belfast’s Michaela Walsh will finally become a two-time Olympian on Friday afternoon when she faces experienced Bulgarian eighth seed Svetlana Staneva.
The boxing competition will be in its seventh day by the time Walsh walks to the ring at 2.46pm, aiming to register a first Olympic win having fallen at the first hurdle in Tokyo three years ago.
