CWG 2022: Feeling ‘robbed’ after defeat in memorable bout, boxer Chaudhary wonders what’s subsequent

After 9 minutes of intense, toe-to-toe brawling that introduced everybody inside Hall 4 of Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre on their toes and left the commentator hailing it as ‘one of the best amateur fights ever’, Ashish Kumar Chaudhary squatted and slapped the ground of the ring in anger.

Ashish Kumar Chaudhary reacts after his bout. (Screengrab)

The judges had awarded the light-heavyweight quarterfinal bout, too shut for others to name, to dwelling favorite Aaron Bowen. And Chaudhary regarded on in surprised disbelief when his opponent’s hand was raised.

More than 12 hours after the bout, the sensation that he had been ‘robbed’ hadn’t left him. He couldn’t sleep your complete night time and puzzled what the long run held – on each, boxing and private, fronts – as he tried to beat the ache of a defeat that ‘felt planned’.

“The way the fight went, I thought I had won easily. So, it’s not a nice feeling to be declared the loser. I am disappointed with the scoring,” Chaudhary says, smiling ruefully. “Maybe the judges could not see my punches.”

The scoring of the bout made the ultimate spherical a winner-takes-all. In the primary spherical, three out of the 5 judges felt Chaudhary, an Asian championship silver medallist, was higher and awarded it to him. The second went to the two-time English champion by the identical margin – 3-2.

That meant the boxer who would win the ultimate spherical would additionally clinch a spot within the semis, and thus be assured of a medal. Neither Chaudhary nor Bowen held again – throwing a flurry of punches at one another, together with a closing burst the place they traded close-range pictures regardless of the referee repeatedly breaking the stream.

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Ashish Kumar and Aaron Bowen in motion throughout their mild heavyweight quarterfinals, in what the commentators described as ‘one of the best amateur bouts ever’. Ashish misplaced by a cut up verdict however he obtained a standing ovation from the gang.
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At the tip of it, all 5 judges awarded the spherical to Bowen, a consequence that also baffles Chaudhary. “Aisa lag raha hai woh hamara bewakoof uda rahe the ek type se…ki pehle khush kar do aur phir… (It feels like they were making a fool out of me in a way… make him happy first and then…) It felt planned,” he tells The Indian Express from Birmingham.

Pondering future

Chaudhary, who began boxing precisely a decade in the past, says he stayed up all night time, worrying about what’s subsequent for him. He candidly says that the medal – and the monetary rewards that’d comply with – would have modified his life. He’d already began dreaming about offering his household with a greater place to remain and thought of ‘many other personal goals’.

“So how could I sleep? It was such a big decision. Not just because I lost but also because of the impact it could have on my future. I had been preparing for this moment. Had I won a medal, my future could’ve been settled properly. Suddenly, everything seems to have come to a halt. I will have to start from zero. All this is tough to deal with,” says Chaudhary, the only real breadwinner of his household following his father’s loss of life two years in the past.

India’s Ashish Kumar, proper and England’s Aaron Bowen compete at The NEC (AP Photo)

The authorities has earmarked Rs 30 lakh for an athlete who wins a gold medal on the Commonwealth Games, Rs 20 lakh for silver and Rs 10 lakh for bronze.

Chaudhary, nonetheless, expresses frustration on the lack of assist from his dwelling state Himachal Pradesh. After he gained the silver on the Asian Championships in 2019 – his finest consequence to date – the boxer from Mandi says he went to the state authorities’s workplace with the medal and the certificates. “They instead asked me ‘why are you submitting? There’s no use for this as it’s not in our guidelines. It’s a Himachal thing, there’s no support here.’ At times, I regret playing from Himachal.”

Chaudhary isn’t shy to confess that cash, apart from medals, is a motivation. “Whatever you think, it’s about money for a sportsman. That’s the only way we can realise our dreams. So, this medal was my last hope to help my family live a better life,” he says. “Now, I am stuck from all sides.”

The standing ovation and being part of ‘one of the best amateur fights ever’ is little comfort.