GB’s Richardson takes bronze in agonising semi-final loss

Team GB boxer Lewis Richardson will take home a bronze medal from the Paris Olympics after an agonising semi-final defeat by Mexico’s Marco Verde.

Richardson, the last British boxer standing in Paris, looked to have done enough to secure a place in Friday’s final but lost on split decision.

He was up on two of the judge’s scorecards before the final round, down on one and level on the other two, but the panel of five all gave the last in favour of the Mexican to give him a 3-2 win.

“I thought Lewis had done enough in that last round to win,” BBC boxing expert Steve Bunce said.

“I am amazed. Verde had nothing left. Lewis had dominated. I am disappointed.

“It wasn’t a robbery but I do believe Lewis Richardson was harshly treated there.”

With no bronze medal bout, both losing semi-finalists take bronze.

Verde, the Pan American Games champion, will fight Uzbek Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev in the final.

Richardson’s defeat ends the British interest in the Olympic boxing. He was the only fighter to win a bout after the other four Britons – Delicious Orie, Rosie Eccles, Pat Brown and Chantelle Reid – all lost their openers.

Richardson still takes home his first Olympic medal, having been the last of the British squad to qualify for Paris.

He only got into boxing to get fitter for football and had to drop down a weight after his preferred category was removed from the Olympic programme.

Having narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Tokyo Games, the Englishman almost gave up on his Olympic dream when injuries kept him out of the ring for a year.