Polish boxer Julia Szeremeta was eliminated from the senior European Championship in Sofia on Monday after losing her round-of-16 bout against Bulgarian fighter Stanimira Petrova by split decision.
The 23-year-old Olympic silver medallist from the Paris 2024 Games expressed strong disagreement with the judges' scoring, stating that some officials had made fools of themselves during the opening round of the contest.
When the official verdict was announced inside the venue, Szeremeta gestured toward the crowd with her thumb pointed downward. She later confirmed that her gesture was aimed directly at the first-round scorecards, which she felt should have gone in her favor.
Following her exit from the tournament in her senior European debut match, Szeremeta briefly retreated behind the curtains separating the main competition arena from the warm-up area. She later returned to speak with a group of four Polish journalists, appearing with eyes still red from crying and admitting that tears continued to surface when she reflected on the fight.
Disputed scoring and ring tactics
Szeremeta said her coaches informed her during the corner break that she was trailing 1-4 on the judges' scorecards after the initial round. She recalled being surprised by the total and using a curse word to ask what was happening, before her trainers advised her to stay calm and continue boxing their way.
The Polish fighter described the match as a bout of millimetres and maintained that she was the faster boxer in the ring. She explained that because Petrova knew she held the point lead, the Bulgarian avoided stepping into punches, which prevented Szeremeta from pressing forward effectively in the final round due to the risk of counter-attacks.
Szeremeta noted that winning the opening round would have altered the trajectory of the bout completely. As a counter-puncher facing another counter-puncher, she believed an early lead would have forced Petrova to attack, creating openings that Szeremeta could exploit.
Szeremeta rose to prominence after securing the silver medal in women's boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming one of Poland's standout athletic figures. The European Boxing Championships, held in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, bring together top amateur fighters from across the continent to compete in high-stakes knockout rounds.
Arena atmosphere and team reaction
The bout took place in front of a modest audience of roughly 300 spectators, many of whom were athletes and officials representing participating national teams. Polish and Bulgarian delegation members sat alongside each other in the stands.
The quiet surroundings contrasted with the electric environment in Sofia the previous week, when 13,000 Bulgarian fans cheered their men's national volleyball team to a 3-2 victory over Poland in the group stage of the European Championship.
Inside the boxing venue, members of the Polish delegation initially cheered with enthusiasm, but their expressions turned sombre once the first-round scores were delivered. Two-time European silver medallist Elzbieta Wojcik was among the Polish teammates actively shouting encouragement from the stands throughout the match.
Despite Szeremeta's frustration with the judging, members of the Polish delegation offered a different assessment. When asked in the stands after the match whether the verdict should be considered a controversy, members of the Polish team answered no without a shadow of a doubt.
Host advantage and future plans
Szeremeta acknowledged that home surroundings often assist host athletes, though she insisted that she entered the ring with a calm attitude and focused solely on winning. She also pointed to other puzzling decisions during the event, noting that Polish teammate Wiktoria Rogalinska received a count for reasons she did not understand, while Damian Durkacz faced strange calls in his opening round.
Reflecting on the immediate aftermath, Szeremeta shared that her coach told her right after the bout that he was proud of her performance and called her a good athlete. She added that she accepted the defeat calmly and intended to draw lessons from the experience to return stronger.
Szeremeta revealed that she had limited her competition schedule earlier in the year after feeling completely exhausted from boxing. Having taken time off to recharge her energy, she stated that starting in January, her complete focus will turn toward next year's Olympic qualifiers, describing them as her most critical goal.
