A young boxer has been banned for life after a sickening attack on a referee after the decision went against him in a bout at the European Youth Championships.
18-year-old Vido Loncar was enraged after referee Mageja Dziurgota stepped in to end the fight early, declaring Lithuania’s Algirdas Baniulis the winner.
Loncar retaliated by launching his horrific assault on the Polish official, flooring him with a punch to the head and then repeatedly hitting him as he was prone on the canvas.
Dziurgota was taken to hospital for his injuries to be treated, though he was not severely harmed.
Initially, Croatia’s Loncar had been calm after the decision – but the red mist descended a few moments later as the referee confirmed his decision to the crowd.
The boxer clearly lost control completely, so much so that he continued to rain blows for several seconds – while a terrified Baniulis was so shocked that he ran for cover rather than step in on the referee’s behalf. Onlookers did come to Dziurgota’s aid, however, though they had to drag the crazed fighter out of the ring by his ankles.
The Croatian boxing federation quickly apologised for the “brutal” attack and assured the world that their boxer would not fight again.
But susprisingly, Croatian boxing director Zeljko Mavrovic actually defended his man’s actions later on.
“I believe that he is not a butcher or as bad as this act makes him look,” said Mavrovic. “This was part of his excessive ambition in that moment.”
That excessive ambition seems to have backfired spectacularly for Loncar, however, whose career as a light heavyweight boxer appears to have come to a premature end.
Source: Eurosport
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quZANa_qg5Y
