Harry Garside in devastating scenes as opponent cops backlash over ugly antics at Olympics

Aussie boxing fan favourite Harry Garside has been left absolutely shattered after he was eliminated following his opening bout against Hungarian Richard Kovacs at the Olympics with his opponent called out for his in-ring antics. Garside was entering the Olympics off the back of a bronze medal in Tokyo and wanted to go even better in 2024.

The Aussie entered the 63.5kg division as the No.5 seed, but came up against a fiery Hungarian who immediately began to taunt Garside in the ring. And Garside wasn't able to stop the check-hook of the Hungarian when he entered range as he was continuously tagged throughout the contest.

Garside dominated the ring and landed a number of solid lefts, but eventually lost two rounds to one and after just nine minutes his quest for an Olympic gold medal was heartbreakingly over. The Aussie was all class in defeat having lifted the ring ropes for Kovacs when he exited the ring.

He was then pictured hunched over in devastation out the back of the arena. Speaking to Channel Nine, Garside admitted he felt like he let Australia down having exited the Paris Olympics after his first fight.

“I feel pretty numb right now,” he said after the bout, fighting back tears. “I’m sure the next month or two will be quite challenging, quite hard. I fear for my mind, it gets a better of me. I feel like I’ve let myself down and let Australia down mate, but what do you do?”

The Aussie admitted he felt like a 'failure' after the shock defeat. “Australia is such a sporting nation, and I’m so sorry,” he added when figuring out his next step in his career. “Honestly. I feel like a failure right now. I feel like ... I don’t even know what to say.

“Thank you so much Australia. It really means a lot. I know sportsmen are just supposed to say the right things right now. And thank you so much but deep down inside, mate, I fear for what the next couple of months looks like for myself. And there’ll truly be some dark times, mate. I gotta prepare for that now.”

Garside took to social media after his loss and admitted he felt much better after letting out a cry following the devastation. "Life is good. I'm grateful I always choose to put myself in the arena. The sun comes up tomorrow and life goes on," he wrote. "2 decades weren't for nothing." Fans were quick to rally around the Aussie boxing favourite after such a heartbreaking loss.

Harry Garside shows class after defeat at Olympics

While Garside was coming to terms with his devastating loss, he also showed pure class towards his rival. Garside immediately approached Kovacs' corner after the bout to congratulate them. He was left 'numb' after the result as he sat in the corner of the ring.

However, Australian boxing reporter Ben Damon pointed out Garside also held the ropes up for Kovacs when he was exiting the ring as a sign of respect for his opponent. Damon was quick to rally around Garside and called for Aussies to support the Tokyo bronze medallist heading forward.

Harry Garside's rival called out over taunts

While Garside was all class in his defeat, many fans felt his opponent didn't show the Olympic spirit as he goaded the Aussie from the opening bell. Boxing is a sport made up of entertainers and showmanship, but fans felt Kovacs' antics at the Olympics may have overstepped the mark. The commentator mentioned numerous times the Hungarian was full of animation as he was 'showboating' in front of the Aussie.

Garside was all class to ignore the showmanship and still push through the bout. However, some fans were fed up with the antics in an Olympic arena.