There may be some who have watched their idol too much on television.
This Tuesday, boxer Youness Baalla attempted a completely crazy gesture against his opponent David Nyika, in the round of 16 -91 kg at the Tokyo Olympics.
Glued to the New Zealander, the Moroccan held him by the arm before approaching his neck and his ear with his mouth open.
A bite attempt reminiscent of Mike Tyson's on Holyfield in 1997… Except that Nyika, this time, managed to dodge her opponent's assault.
🥊 When Youness Baalla takes himself for Mike Tyson ... 🦷😱 # JeuxOlympiques # Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/WmQ6cO0L2v
- Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) July 27, 2021
The most incredible thing in all of this is perhaps that the Sri Lankan referee and the five judges did not see Baalla's gesture.
The fight therefore came to an end with, at the end, the victory of the New Zealander, by unanimous decision of the judges.
"An intolerable action"
An almost useless victory since his opponent was finally disqualified after viewing the images at the end of the fight.
“He clearly intended to bite his rival's ear or face in the third round,” boxing authorities reported at the Tokyo Games.
Baala was therefore “disqualified for his intolerable action.
"
New Zealand boxer David Nyika quickly reacted to his opponent's gesture: “The heat of battle can bring out the best but also the worst of people. It's part of the sport. I have respect for my opponent and can understand the frustration he felt. ". Even to the point of wanting to defend the Moroccan: “Please don't contact him if you have nothing good to say to him. "