Boxing:Katie Taylor's Olympic final opponent Sofya Ochigava has claimed the "whole system" favours the Irishwoman and her opponents begin their bouts at a 10-point disadvantage.
The Russian has lost twice to Taylor in recent finals – at the 2011 European Championships and this year’s world championships – and is due to meet her again tomorrow afternoon (4.45pm), but she was not buying into the hype today and said Taylor's first round opponent Natasha Jonas suffered at the hands of the judges.
"She is one of the best, but she is just another boxer. In my opinion Natasha Jonas won the first two rounds against her, but the judges didn't see it that way," Ochigava said after beating Brazil’s Adriana Araujo 17-11 in her semi-final. "When you fight Katie you are already minus 10 points. You are fighting the judges and the whole system and they will try to give her too many points."
Taylor beat Ochigava 10-5 in 2011 and 11-7 this year, but of their three meetings the Russian’s 8-1 win in the Czech Republic in 2010 remains the biggest margin of victory.
After demolishing the highly-rated Jonas, the Briton said Taylor was a deserving winner and admitted there was nothing she could do other than perhaps "drive a bus into her".
Taylor, who beat Tajikistan's Mavzuna Chorieva 17-9 this afternoon to advance to the final, has in the past described Ochigava as a “fantastic boxer” and insisted: “It’s always going to be a difficult contest between the two of us.”
The Bray woman will undoubtedly have the crowd on her side tomorrow, however, and she’s grateful for it.
"It's amazing. To have a chance to box for a gold medal tomorrow is incredible," she said today. "It's incredible to have 10,000 Irish people screaming for you, it feels like I'm boxing at home in Dublin. Hopefully I can make everyone proud tomorrow."