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Nishant suffered a 1-4 defeat at the hands of Mexico’s Marco Verde to become the latest Indian athlete to miss out on a medal in the Paris Olympics by a whisker. read more
 "Nishant Dev misses out on medal after quarter-final loss against Marco Verde")
Nishant Dev becomes the fourth Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. Reuters
Nishant Dev became the latest Indian athlete to miss out on a medal in the ongoing Paris Olympics following his quarter-final defeat at the hands of Mexico’s Marco Verde.
Paris Olympics: News, schedule, medals tally and more
Nishant suffered a 1-4 defeat at the hands of Verde to bow out of the men’s welterweight category, leaving Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain India’s final hope of winning at least one boxing medal in the Paris Games.
— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) August 3, 2024Nishant had defeated Alvarez in the 2021 World Championships and was off to a flyer on Saturday as Alvarez struggled to match his pace. He used his straight jabs to great effect, landing them square on the Mexican’s face as well as the body to tire his opponent.
Alvarez was trailing for the most part of the round but managed to connect a lethal right hook on Nishant’s face, that forced the referee to give the Indian a standing count, followed by a left in the dying minutes. But the Indian’s dominant display ensured he had the bragging rights.
Nishant continued to unleash a range of punches, including a combination of hooks, while Alvarez too upped his game, connecting some vital blows. However, Nishant looked the stronger of the two as he picked the Mexican’s shots.
But the judges favoured the Mexican 3-2 as Alvarez and Nishant entered the final three minutes by the narrowest of margins, leading on one card.
As It Happened | India at Paris Olympics 2024, Day 8
Alvarez landed a combination of punches to start the final round on an aggressive note. The Mexican showed more urgency as he landed an uppercut. The Indian, on the other hand, looked completely spent and while he tried to throw punches he was slow.
Alvarez acknowledged that the bout was a tough one.
“It was a tough bout, played with heart and mind. I hit on his body to open up for upper cuts. I had lost to him in 2021 world Championships. I have a lot of respect for him,” Alvarez said.
“He is very technically sound boxer. My coaches asked me to play smart after I lost the first round.”
Boxing is an exception among Olympic sports wherein both losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze medals, instead of having them compete in a playoff.
All of India’s Olympic medals in the sport, from Vijender Singh in Beijing 2008 and MC Mary Kom in London 2012 to Borgohain’s in Tokyo 2020, are bronze medals.
Nishant’s exit also marks the end of India’s campaign in men’s boxing, with Vijender still the only male boxer to win an Olympic medal for the country.
_With PTI inputs
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English (US) ·