Alex Winwood has been left dumbfounded after his boxing quarter-final was stopped early in the second round against Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba, in what was described as an “outrage” at the Commonwealth Games.
Winwood dominated the first round with four of the five judges awarding it to the Aussie, landing two right hands.
At the start of the second round, the Australian was dropped by a right from his opponent, but he got up seemingly unaffected by the shot. However, he was bizarrely ruled to have been knocked out with the bout waved off despite the 25-year-old appearing stable.
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“I find that impossible to believe, absolutely impossible to believe. That fight should not have been stopped. That’s not a stoppage. That’s an outrage,” Jon Harker said in commentary for Channel 7.
The Aussie was emotional when he spoke after the fight, with the boxer close to tears.
“It was a pretty fast call. I won the first round, and I thought I won it pretty easily,” he said.
Harker added: “She didn’t give him a chance to get up, she was waving it away before he got to his feet. And look at the way he is walking, not a problem whatsoever.
“That fight should not have been stopped. I’m not saying he was going to go on and win, who knows? But that is not a stoppage.”
Australian Olympic bronze medalist Harry Garside said the fight was called off too early, but Winwood had left the decision open as he looked away after getting up off the ground.
“That’s heartbreaking for Alex. No way that’s a stoppage,” Garside said.
“He wasn’t hurt, he did turn his back which gives the referee some empathy, but you’ve got to wait for the person to get up and give them eight seconds,” he said.
“She waved it off way too soon.”
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