Custio Clayton is down for the count after the International Amateur Boxing Association rejected the appeal of his controversial quarter-final loss on countback to Great Britain's Freddie Evans.
The Canadian team said in the failed appeal that Evans should have been given a warning after receiving a third caution for the same foul.
"We are very disappointed in this decision. Custio clearly won the fight in our opinion and this is not a good day for Olympic boxing," Boxing Canada high performance director Daniel Trepanier said in a news release. "However, Custio is a very talented boxer and he should be proud of his performance [on Tuesday], and in his two earlier fights, in this his first Olympic Games."
Clayton was denied of at least an Olympic bronze medal after falling to Evans in the men's 69-kilogram weight class at ExCel South Arena 2 in London.
The boxers were deemed to be tied by the judges 14-14 after the three three-minute rounds of competition, but Evans was awarded the victory due to countback in which factors such as which fighter took the lead, showed the better style and was superior defensively are assessed.
"I thought I pulled it off," Clayton said. "But there ain't nothing I can do."
Clayton took his narrow loss with aplomb, praising Evans while acknowledging the home crowd is an obstacle just as large as the fighter.
