Moroccan heavyweight boxer, Youness Balla, has been disqualified from the Tokyo Olympics after he attempted to bite the ears of his opponent, David Nyika.
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Youness Balla was immediately disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior, although he was already out of the Games anyway following his unanimous points loss in the round-of-16 bout.
A Tokyo 2020 statement called Baalla’s actions “intolerable”, saying that he “very clearly intended to bite the ear/face of his opponent in the third round of the bout”. Footage shows Baalla trying to bite Nyika’s right ear as the two boxers hold each other.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images
Speaking of the incident, Nyika, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist said he was shocked the referee had missed the scene.
In his words;
“Did you see that? I don’t think the ref saw it. She was the closest one,” he revealed. “He didn’t get a full mouthful. Luckily he had his mouthguard in and I was a bit sweaty. I don’t remember what I said to him but I gave him a little bit of a cheek”.
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