The ongoing National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida witnessed dominant performances from star athletes like Nikhat Zareen on Wednesday, but the event was once again overshadowed by serious controversy and questionable refereeing, casting a shadow over the prestigious tournament.
Biting Incident and Referee Inaction Spark Outrage
The men's middleweight (75kg) bout took a shocking turn when Railways Sports Control Board boxer Ishmeet accused his opponent, Mohit of the All India Police (AIP), of biting him. According to reports, after receiving a standing count in the first round, Mohit allegedly bit Ishmeet on the shoulder multiple times during the second round.
The Railways boxer immediately complained to the referee and showed visible bite marks, but the official astonishingly allowed the contest to continue. A furious Railways coach later told PTI they had opposed the decision, stating the referee should have stopped the bout immediately. Biting is considered a severe foul in boxing, with penalties ranging from point deductions to immediate disqualification.
Post-bout, the medical officer documented the alleged bite marks with photographs for inclusion in the Technical Delegate's official report.
Bantamweight Bout Abandoned Amid Mid-Fight Protest
Controversy further erupted during the Bantamweight (55kg) pre-quarterfinal clash between Services' Pawan Bartwal and AIP's Lalit. Pawan was leading 3-2 after the initial two rounds when several AIP coaches and staff entered the field of play and the ring itself to protest the scoring, bringing the bout to a halt.
The situation escalated, leading officials to rule that Lalit had abandoned the bout as he failed to report to the ring centre for the third round even after time warnings. An AIP coach contested this, claiming the second round should have been scored 5-0 in their favour and that the Technical Delegate created a ruckus before declaring the bout abandoned. The AIP contingent stated they would lodge an official protest.
The Services camp countered, alleging that Lalit was tired and that the Police coaches remained in the ring strategically to buy extra recovery time for their boxer. The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) confirmed in a statement that the AIP boxer was officially declared 'Abandoned' as per competition rules for not appearing for the third round.
BFI Response and Champions Shine Through the Chaos
BFI Technical Director Rajan Sharma stated that a detailed report on both incidents would be submitted to the federation. These fresh controversies follow closely on the heels of Olympian Ashish Chaudhary's contentious disqualification in an earlier round, amplifying concerns about the consistency and quality of officiating at the national championships.
Amid the turmoil, the reigning champions delivered commanding performances. World champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) needed less than two minutes to secure a Referee-Stopped Contest (RSC) win against Ladakh's Kulsooma Bano in her pre-quarterfinal. Minakshi Hooda (48kg) also advanced to the quarterfinals with a unanimous decision victory over Jharkhand's Annu.
In the men's section, Amit Panghal (55kg) progressed with a hard-fought 4-1 win, while other notable winners included Abhinash Jamwal (65kg), Jadumani Singh (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), and Hitesh Gulia (70kg). World champion Jaismine Lamboria conceded a walkover in the 57kg category due to a shoulder injury.
