By Paul Jones
The controversial defeat for Wales boxing star Rosie Eccles is still part of a wider debate about the future of the sport at the Olympic Games.
Former world champion Carl Frampton has urged authorities to get the sport’s house in order to ensure it makes to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Boxing has been in the headlines almost every day at Paris 2024, most notably because of the controversy surrounding the participation of Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting.
As well as the gender issues that have come to the fore, these Games have also provided the usual collection of incomprehensible decisions.
While Frampton admits that this is inevitable in a subjective sport, he highlighted the defeat of Welsh boxer Rosie Eccles in her opening fight as the most egregious of them all.
Rosie Eccles Admits Shock At Verdict That Ends Her Olympic Dream And Prompts Booing In Arena
He added: “You look at what happened to Rosie Eccles, I still have no idea how she lost that fight.
“Boxing is subjective and you have judges judging a fight, sitting in different spots around the ring. You can see sometimes in a close fight how someone might see something different.
“But with Rosie Eccles, I think what happened was that two judges gave her the fight, one gave it against her and two gave it a draw.
“In those circumstances, the two who gave it a draw have to decide who they think one the fight. Her opponent had already had a public warning and she was being negative, Rosie Eccles was being the aggressor. Surely they give it to Rosie Eccles.
“Both of them decided to give it the other way, it still baffles me. I heard her speaking on Steve Bunce’s podcast and you could see the emotion. It’s heart-breaking, the amount of effort she has put in to qualify and then come here and hope for a medal. It’s taken away by a bad decision in my opinion.”
Rosie Eccles Has Finally Made It To Paris . . . But Boxing May Not Make It To 2028 Games
Part of the reason boxing has become such a large story is the fact that two different organisations are trying to oversee the sport, with the discredited International Boxing Association weighing in on the debate despite having their role as an international federation removed before these Games.
These governance issues have led to the sport not being confirmed on the Olympic programme for LA 2028.
If it were to drop off the programme, that would be the first Olympics without boxing in 116 years, an outcome that would be a travesty according to Frampton.
“It’s a big concern, it would be a travesty if boxing isn’t in the Olympic Games in LA,” said Frampton, who is in Paris working for Discovery+ on their Olympic coverage.
“I’m hoping that I’m still working with Warner Bros and get sent out! You look at the list of great champions that have come from amateur boxing: Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr, although he got robbed in the final.
“You have got all the Cubans, Felix Savon, Teofilo Stevenson, (Mario) Kindelan, there’s Amir Khan too.
“We see these great amateurs turn into great professionals – apart from the Cubans obviously – and it would be a massive shame (if boxing was left out). I think it would have a knock-on effect on professional boxing too.
“I hope something can be done and boxing can secure its place in the LA Olympics. There are the big sports in the Olympic Games, track and field, swimming is a big sport, but I would say that boxing is competing with some of the big sports in terms of what people want to watch.”
Watch every moment of Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discovery+, the streaming home of the Olympics
Carl Frampton's advice to Imane Khelif as Olympics eligibility row continueshttps://t.co/2PW5QAkyP2
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