Tokyo Olympics: Moroccan Boxer Youness Baalla Disqualified After He Attempted to Bite Opponent's Ear
- Footages from the bizarre incident showed Youness Baalla lean towards New Zealand’s David Nyika’s right ear trying to bite him
- Fortunately for Nyika, he managed to pull out in time before his opponent could chomp down his ear
- Nyika, who won the bout revealed he was surprised the referee missed the scene, revealing Baalla "did not get a full mouthful"
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A heavyweight bout pitting Morocco's Youness Baalla and New Zealand's David Nyika was marked with bizarre scenes after the former attempted to bite the ear of his opponent.
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News understands the Tuesday, July 27, incident happened during a hold in round three when Baalla, who was making his Olympics debut lost his cool and tried to bite off his opponent's ear.
According to The Guardian, Nyika was fortunate enough to pull out in time before Baalla could chomp down on one of his most important body parts.
The publication added Nyika did not face much trouble on his way to a comprehensive win as he has won the first rounds with ease.
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For the better part of the fight staged at the Kokugikan Arena, Baalla had struggled to handle Nyika's pinpointed jab as he went on to lose 5-0.
The New York Post reports the intolerable action earned Baalla a disqualification, with Olympic officials ruling the Moroccan boxer had a clear intention of biting Nyika's face/ear.
Speaking of the incident, Nyika, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist said he was shocked the referee had missed the scene.
“Did you see that? I don’t think the ref saw it. She was the closest one,” he revealed.
“He didn’t get a full mouthful. Luckily he had his mouthguard in and I was a bit sweaty. I don’t remember what I said to him but I gave him a little bit of a cheek," he added.
Incidentally, the 25-year-old has previously been bitten on the chest during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The incident rekindled memories of the infamous Mike Tyson bout with Evander Holyfield when the former world champion bit his opponent's ear during a 1997 fight.
Argentine accepts marriage proposal at the Tokyo Olympics
Briefly News previously reported that Argentine Tokyo Olympics participant Maria Belen Perez Maurice may have bowed out of the postponed Summer Games after her defeat to Hungary's Anna Marton.
However, the event was not all gloom and doom for the 36-year-old after she was proposed to by her boyfriend and coach Lucas Guillermo Saucedo. SunSport reports Maria was knocked out when she lost 15-12 Marton in the women's saber individual.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Thando Mpembe Thando Mpembe is a sports journalist who has a passion for all things entertainment. In her spare time, Thando enjoys reading and spending time with family. She is an advocate for mental health and believes that a healthy body starts with a healthy mind. Thando holds an Honours Degree in Journalism from the University of Johannesburg. Her favourite quote is "Gentle reminder - you are not for everyone and that is a blessing". Email: thando.mpembe@briefly.co.za
