LONDON: Britain’s Anthony Ogogo caused the first big boxing shock of the London Olympics yesterday, upsetting the favorite for middleweight gold in front of an vociferous crowd that included Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip.
Ogogo, whose hopes of making it to his first Olympics were nearly ruined by a serious shoulder injury last year, became the first Briton to reach the quarter-finals after he beat Ukrainian world amateur champion Evhen Khytrov by the tightest of margins. World number one Khytrov came back from two points down in the first round to level the scores at 18-18 at the end of the bout and after the pair could still not be separated when the five judges’ individual scores were totted up, they were each asked to call a winner. After an anxious three minute wait, the longest for a decision at the Games so far, the 23-year-old Briton was deemed the winner and fell to his knees before leaping around the ring and beating his chest to the delight of a packed house.
The Ukrainian team, shocked at losing the top seed, lodged an appeal which the International Boxing Association (AIBA) said did not mention any specific motivation and was rejected after careful consideration.
“Nobody thought I was going to win that fight apart for me, my team and my family. I don’t think even the rest of my teammates thought I was going to win it,” Ogogo, who landed some big early right hand shots before surviving two standing counts, told reporters.
“I just believed in myself and that’s all you have to do. I want to inspire people, that’s what the Olympics is all about for me. I want to inspire the next generation and tell them that if you believe in yourself, you can do better things.”
Only six weeks ago, the British fighter had to put his preparations for the Olympics to one side when his mother Teresa suffered a brain haemorrhage. She was still too ill in hospital to watch her son’s first fight on Saturday.
Ogogo, who is now just one fight away from a guaranteed medal, said he deserved the victory after everything he has been through
“It’s so much sweeter but that’s what got me over the finish line,” he said.
“If everything hadn’t happened to me that has, I could have crumbled in that last five seconds. That gave me the extra strength and motivation.”
The 90-year-old prince remained in his ringside seat while Ogogo’s heroics brought the rest of the arena to their feet. The British fighter next faces Stefan Hartel of Germany on Monday.
Earlier the crowd were treated to a boxing masterclass by Khytrov’s teammate Vasyl Lomachenko.
The Ukrainian showed exactly why he is overwhelming favorite for men’s lightweight gold, barely moving out of first gear in an effortless yet brilliantly impressive 15-3 victory over Wellington Arias Romero of the Dominican Republic.
Lomachenko, who won featherweight gold at the Beijing Games aged 20, once again looks like one of the best fighters in the whole competition, demonstrating incredible footwork, impenetrable defense and a punch for every occasion.
He next faces Felix Verdejo Sanchez of Puerto Rico before a likely semi-final against Cuban Yasnier Toledo Lopez whom he beat for his second world amateur title last year.
The Ukrainian, who has a tattoo of his father and coach Anatoly’s face on his abdomen, looks unbeatable.
