Tokyo Games: Moroccan Boxer Youness Baalla Tries To Bite Opponent In Olympics Defeat
Tokyo Games: Footage showed Moroccan boxer Youness Baalla trying to bite David Nyika's right ear as the two boxers held each other.
Highlights
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Youness Baalla bit David Nyika's ear during his defeat
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He was disqualified for unsportsmanlike behaviour
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The incident occurred in a Round of 16 bout
Moroccan heavyweight boxer Youness Baalla attempted to bite David Nyika's ear during his defeat to the New Zealander at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday. The 22-year-old was subsequently disqualified for unsportsmanlike behaviour, although he was already out of the Games anyway following his unanimous-points loss in the round-of-16 bout. A Tokyo 2020 statement called Baalla's actions "intolerable", saying that he "very clearly intended to bite the ear/face of his opponent in the third round of the bout". Footage shows Baalla trying to bite Nyika's right ear as the two boxers hold each other.
Nyika, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist who has already fought as a professional, said: "He didn't get a full mouthful.
"Luckily he had his mouthguard in and I was a bit sweaty.
"I was bitten on the chest at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (2018), but come on man, this is the Olympics."