Olympics: Japan appeal bantamweight defeat

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1217343/1/.html

Japan have appealed against Satoshi Shimizu's defeat by Azeri Magomed Abdulhamidov in an Olympic bantamweight second round contest on Wednesday.

Not only did Shimizu greet the result with disbelief, but so too did the 10,000 strong crowd at ringside at London's Excel Arena.

"The Japanese have lodged an appeal and it will be heard after the final bout of the session," a spokesman for governing body AIBA (the International Amateur Boxing Association) told AFP.

Masamori Yamane, the Japanese team leader, explained their reasons for the appeal.

"The main reason is that Abdulhamidov fell down several times and it was not counted by the referee," he said.

"The second reason is how the referee acted is not satisfactory."

Shimizu trailed 12-5 going into the final round but then dominated with the exhausted Abdulhamidov spending most of it on the canvas and receiving a two-point deduction from the referee.

Nevertheless, Abdulhamidov was adjudged the winner by 22 points to 17, leading to a distraught Shimizu standing shocked in the ring and Abdulhamidov being booed out of the arena like a pantomime villain.

"I am angry. I was so shocked by the result that I had to ask the referee if I had heard it correctly," Shimizu said. "He fell down so many times (five times) in that last round, the fight should have been stopped.

"Why didn't I win? I don't understand."