India, Jan. 6 -- Tokyo Olympian Ashish Chaudhary's disqualification for a headbutt has sparked a refereeing controversy at the Elite National Boxing Championships here.

The 2019 Asian Championships medallist and his state unit Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association launched a strong protest after his disqualification for 'intentional headbutt' against Haryana's Rupesh in an 80kg bout on Monday night.

The bout was barely into the second minute when close action saw the boxers clash heads, leaving the Haryana boxer bleeding from the nose. The referee stopped the bout, gave a standing count to Rupesh and called for medical attention. The doctor suggested that the injured boxer cannot fight any further.

"While Rupesh was being attended to by ...