Zaur Antia: 'You watch fights? You know. Anyone with eyes could see it was 5-0 every round'

FUMING: Team Ireland head coach Zaur Antia, right, and coach Damian Kennedy react to the result of Daina Moorehouse and Wassila Lkhadiri of Team France women's 50Kg round of 16 bout. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Daina Moorehouse brought the best of herself to a long-awaited Olympic debut on Thursday night but met her Waterloo against an opponent born in Napoleon’s home town in a manner that pours more scorn on amateur boxing.

The 4"11” flyweight fighter from Bray was brilliant through this contest against Wassila Lkhadiri who was born in Ajaccio in Corsica and enjoyed a raucous home support – and the benefit of some extraordinary judgements from the five adjudicators ringside.

The Irish boxing team was left livid by the decision that went against Aoife O’Rourke the night before, and the scoring system left everyone scratching their heads after Dean Clancy’s opening loss, but this one was an absolute travesty.

“You watch fights? You know. Anyone with eyes could see it was 5-0 every round,” said head coach Zaur Antia afterwards, “but I knew after it was 3-2 [to Moorehouse] in the first round…” The rest went unspoken, the arms he threw up in the air saying everything.

Moorehouse had to wait eight days after the Olympic draw was made, and five after Clancy opened Ireland’s account in the ring, to get her go. She is the youngest female member of the team and she was going in against a home fighter.

She could have been overawed. She wasn't. She took command.

Her movement and distancing were excellent, she was landing punches, in solos and in volleys. She was comfortably the better fighter in that opening act by a distance – and two judges saw it differently.

Lkhadiri started the second brightly but Moorehouse showed her maturity with a brilliant response and the French fighter’s difficulties were such that she was warned for using her elbows twice by the referee.

HEARTBREAKING: Ireland’s Dania Moorehouse dejected after being declared the loser against Wassila Lkhadiri of France. Picture: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

One left from the Irish boxer left Lkhadiri rocking on her feet and it was followed up. It looked like she would take the round but this time the scoring went against her and now she was behind entering the third.

She battled on and finished strongly but the damage had been done, just as it had the night before when the referee failed to punish O’Rourke’s Polish opponent for repeated holding and other incursions.

That’s seven of the nine Irish fighters here who have lost their openers, but this was surely the most infuriating.

“I don’t know, I didn’t feel when I was in there that I got beaten but it’s different when you watch it back as well,” said the 22-year old.

“I don’t think… I didn’t feel like when I was in there that I was losing. When you know you’re getting beaten, you’re getting beaten, but I definitely didn’t feel like I was losing.” Moorehouse is no stranger to mystifying decisions.

The Irish team was unhappy when the decision went against her when fighting the same opponent in the European Games last year. She suffered another injustice in the following Olympic qualifier in Milan before booking her ticket at the third attempt.

She said before this fight, and after it, that she is a hugely-improved fighter from the one that lost to Lkhadiri in Poland 12 months ago but the result – and the feeling when the referee raised her opponent’s hand – was the same.

The officiating at this Olympics, while nothing like the low of Rio in 2016, is now attracting increasing attention for all the wrong reasons, and it was put to Moorehouse that occurrences like this won’t do the sport any favours in the future.

As it stands it still isn’t on the programme for LA in 2028.

“I don't know. I actually don't know what to say. Some judging is okay, some judging is not. Some referees are just... I think you definitely have to take a look at the judges and the refs.” She was remarkably calm about it, though clearly devastated. There was pride in making her first Olympics but the bitter taste will remain for a long time and team leader Trish Heberle was asked if the Irish contingent intended making any complaints about the scoring.

“We have no ability to complain about judging,” said the Australian. “What did you see today? You have been watching boxing a long, long time. I am nothing but proud of this athlete.

“She completely controlled that fight. She moved the boxer around, she found openings, made great punches: head punches, body punches, combinations. That's what I saw. I am extremely proud of her.”