LONDON: Angry Brazilian boxer Robson Conceicao claimed he was robbed of victory on Sunday because his Olympic Games opponent was Briton Josh Taylor in their lightweight first round encounter.
The Brazilian lost the fight 13-9, having trailed in every round, but he believed he had clearly been the superior fighter and had lost because of home bias, although all five judges are neutral.
“It is unfair. They're (the judges) ruining my job,” he said. “But this happened because he is from here.”
Taylor, a former British taekwondo champion before taking up boxing, admitted there was already bad blood between them when they sparred together last week in a training camp for Brazilian and British boxers.
“You could say it got pretty tasty,” said the 21-year-old Scot, who had been especially annoyed during the sparring session by Conceicao holding his arms up and taunting him that he was the better fighter.
“I did hold back a bit because it was before the draw and I didn't know whether I would face him or not. Little did I know I would,” added Taylor, who next faces top Italian and third seed Domenico Valentino in the next round.