'It wasn't close. It was a shocking decision' - Katie Taylor's camp are absolutely raging

– Niall Kelly reports from Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro

KATIE TAYLOR’S CAMP launched a stinging attack on the judges as Ireland’s defending gold medallist crashed out of the Olympics in her opening bout.

Taylor was stunned in a split decision by Finland’s Mira Potkonen who did just enough to edge this morning’s lightweight quarter-final against the champion.

Taylor and Potkonen each won a card 39-37 with the third ringside judge, from Ecuador, scoring it a 38-38 draw before splitting the tie in favour of the Finn, bronze medallist at the world championships last year.

“We’d give the second round close but it was clear,” a furious Eddie Bolger said minutes after the defeat.

“Right hand, left hooks, right hand, left hooks, right hand, left hooks.

“This guy (AIBA official) is standing on my shoulder now to make sure I don’t say anything bad but it’s up to you guys (in the media).

“This happens a lot. It’s happened more often. The French are flavour of the month now and if you go through the hierarchy, you’ll know why that is.

That fight wasn’t even close. You can add it up and it wasn’t close. It was a shocking decision. That’s all I’m going to say about it.

Speaking to RTÉ, head coach Zaur Antia was in no doubt that Taylor had done enough to win the fight.

“She won,” Antia insisted. “She had good skills, sidesteps, clean punches, what else she can do now?

“Katie hit more, two times more, than she got. What else she can do?”

Nobody can convince me that Katie lost this fight. Then I have no experience and I don’t know boxing.

“You see her corner there. They were not happy, they were not sure, they had no confidence. When they raised her hand, did you see how they jumped?”

Hotline Rings: Rio 2016 / SoundCloud

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