Nishant Dev and Marco Verde face off at the 2024 Paris Olympics.©AFP
Olympic debutant Nishant Dev (71kg) withdrew from the Paris Games after a heartbreaking defeat to Mexico’s Marco Verde Alvarez in the men’s 71kg quarter-final here on Saturday. The 23-year-old Indian, a bronze medalist at the World Boxing Championships, lost by a split verdict of 1-4 to his second-seeded Mexican opponent in the quarter-final at the North Paris Arena. Nishant started well, with four judges ranking him higher after the first round. However, Nishant was unable to maintain his momentum, notably starting to tire from the second round onwards, as Verde managed to land more punches.
After the second round, both boxers were tied for four judges, while Nishant still held the lead with just one judge. However, all five judges gave the point to Verde in the third round to confirm the result.
Nishant becomes the fifth Indian boxer to walk out of the 2024 Paris Olympics. He would have become only the second Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal if he had managed to win the tie.
Nishant’s trip to Paris
Dev took up boxing at the age of 12, taking inspiration from his uncle who was a professional boxer. However, just two years before, a fall from a staircase had dislocated his right shoulder. The real impact of the injury will be felt by Nishant in 2022, when a rod will be inserted into his infected shoulder.
Through surgery and rehabilitation, Nishant suffered several doubts and insecurities about his career. But not knowing how to give up, Dev bounced back to win gold at the National Boxing Championships in Hisar the following year.
Nishant’s never-say-die attitude was also evident during the Olympic qualifiers. After missing his first attempt, Nishant bounced back to get a quota in the second attempt.
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