It is a scene which recalls the great hours of the fight between Myke Tyson and Evander Holyfield, in 1997. Tuesday, in Tokyo, very far, therefore, from the MGM Grand of Las Vegas, the Moroccan boxer Youness Baalla (-91 kg) has was disqualified from the Olympic tournament for trying to bite his opponent in the ear during a heavyweight bout.
During the third round, Baalla, 22, approached his open mouth to New Zealander David Nyika’s left ear, while holding him with his arms, much like Tyson against Holyfield. But Nyika managed to dodge. The Sri Lankan referee and the five judges did not realize anything during the match, won by the New Zealander by unanimous decision.
“It’s part of the sport”
It was only after the fact that the organizers notified the illegal action. ” [Balla] clearly intended to bite his rival’s ear or face in the third round, ”the International Olympic Committee’s boxing working group said in a statement. The Moroccan boxer was “disqualified for his intolerable action”.
Nyika later put the significance of the incident into perspective in an Instagram post. “Out of the heat of battle the best and the worst of people can emerge. It’s part of the sport. I have respect for my opponent and can understand the frustration he felt. Please don’t contact him if you have nothing good to say to him. “