Lewis Richardson left to settle for boxing bronze in Paris after surprise judge decision

Lewis Richardson had to settle for bronze after being beaten on split decision by Mexico’s Marco Verde in the men’s 71kg semi-final at Roland Garros.

Richardson started well landing a solid punch to Verde’s face, but the Mexican grew back into the round throwing a series of different combinations and breaking through the British fighter’s defence.

The second round saw the British fighter show off his boxing skills, landing a great uppercut and a couple of big blows to Verde’s head to take the round on the majority of the judges’ cards.

An evenly-poised contest boiled down to the third round and Richardson began to use his reach more, throwing a big strike to Verde’s nose. The Mexican caught the British fighter on the cheek but struggled to land some big swings before being hit in the face again by Richardson.

However all five judges saw it differently and awarded the Mexican the round which meant Richardson’s dream of reaching the Olympics final was over.

Bronze means Richardson is the only British boxer at Paris 2024 to win a medal.

He was already guaranteed bronze following victory against Zeyad Eashash in the quarter-finals on Saturday and reflected on a bittersweet feeling after missing the chance to go for gold.

He said: “It’s very raw and it is hard to process right now.

“I’ve won that bronze medal, but it’s hard to fully celebrate because you’re moving onto the next one and looking to change the colour of that medal.

“I’m sure I’m going to make a conscious effort whenever the time’s right – and hopefully sooner rather than later – to flick that switch and be proud of what I’ve achieved.

“Because rightly or wrongly I’m the only British boxer to medal at these Games and I hope I’ve made the country proud.”

Richardson started the semi-final well, landing a solid punch to Verde’s face, but the Mexican grew back into the round throwing a series of different combinations and breaking through the British fighter’s defence.

The second round saw the British fighter show off his skills, landing a great uppercut and a couple of big blows to Verde’s head to take the round on the majority of the judges’ cards.

However all five judges saw it differently by the end and awarded the Mexican the round which meant Richardson’s dream of reaching the Olympic final was over and he admitted afterwards that he felt he won what was a tight contest.

He added: “It was close, it was a close bout. It’s hard to say really if I’m happy, I’m a bit disappointed with my performance but what I will say is I’m proud of myself about how I’ve conducted myself throughout this tournament.

“I’ve been ultra-professional and I hope that I’ve represented the country with pride and honour because I’ve done my best.

“So I hope the country are happy and proud of what I’ve achieved because although I’ve lost tonight I’ve managed to bring a bronze medal home.

“I certainly did feel like I won the bout, but I’m certainly not screaming a robbery because it’s close and it’s far too soon to say anything like that.

“For me he was a good opponent, seeded number two in the tournament and I’m happy with my performances this week.”