(CNN) Evgeny Tishchenko must have pictured it a thousand times at least -- stepping up to the podium to receive his gold medal as the Olympic heavyweight boxing champion.
And while he achieved that feat Monday after defeating Kazakhstan's Vassiliy Levit, it didn't stop the crowd from unleashing a chorus of boos and jeers in his direction.
Most of those watching the final bout inside the Riocentro arena reacted in complete shock when all three judges scored the fight unanimously in Tishchenko's favor.
Day 10: Follow all the action
He was booed at the medal ceremony by the crowd, while Levit was cheered by those who felt he had been harshly treated.
"I was whistled after the gong and I don't know the reason for that ... maybe it was not really fair," Tischenko told reporters.
"I'm really upset about the reaction of the spectators. I didn't think there were any claims with regards to the officiating from the referee.
"But if the referee made a bad decision and the officiating was not correct, then I will be very sad for Vassiliy.
"I think that if the referee gave the victory to me, there was a good reason to do so."
Levit, in blue, was cheered by the crowd despite losing out to Tischenko.
While Levit was clearly upset by the outcome, he acted swiftly to urge the crowd to respect the medal ceremony by placing his finger to his lips and asking for quiet.
Read: Russian's Rio ban is overturned
He told reporters that every fighter deserves respect -- though he thought he had won the fight.
"In my head I was thinking I had won," Levit said. "My coaches were quite happy with me and that I had done everything in my program for the fight, but you see how it ended up.
"I felt that I was winning the bout, but if the judges and the referee gave a different decision then they have good grounds to do so."
Tischenko is not the first Russian athlete to be booed at the Rio Games.
Fans have made plain their feelings on the decision to let 271 of Russia's 389 athletes compete despite a report accusing the country of "state-sponsored doping."
But those boos failed to distract Tischenko who, despite appearing to spend most of the fight on the back foot, eventually came out on top.
Rio Olympics: Day 10
Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas
dives over the finish line to win gold in the 400 meters on Monday, August 15. She edged American Allyson Felix by .07 seconds.
Felix now has seven Olympic medals in her career. Jamaica's Shericka Jackson finished third.
Kenya's David Rudisha successfully defends his Olympic title in the 800 meters.
Russia's Evgeny Tishchenko, in red, won a a decision over Kazahkstan's Vassiliy Levit, left, in the heavyweight final. But he was
booed on the medal stand by fans who felt Levit deserved the victory.
France's Wilhem Belocian reacts after a false start disqualified him from the 110-meter hurdles.
Officials clean the track after heavy rain briefly interrupted competition.
Jamaica's Deuce Carter competes in the 110-meter hurdles.
A wildfire burns in hills near the field hockey venue before a quarterfinal match between Great Britain and Spain.
U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, who has already won the individual all-around and the vault, wobbles during the balance beam finals on Monday, August 15. She finished with the bronze.
Biles is comforted by compatriot Laurie Hernandez, who got silver on the beam. Dutch gymnast Sanne Wevers won the gold.
Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk competes in the hammer throw final, where she broke her own world record on her way to winning gold. Her record throw was 82.29 meters (269 feet, 11 inches).
American Helena Scutt sails before the start of a 49er FX race.
Hungarian goalkeeper Orsolya Kaso, left, competes against Australia in a water polo quarterfinal. Hungary won 13-11.
The trainer of Moroccan boxer Mohammed Rabil sprays water onto Rabil's face during his welterweight bout against Uzbekistan's Shakhram Giyasov. Giyasov won to advance to the final.
Italy's Elia Viviani celebrates after winning gold in the omnium track cycling event.
Viviani, front, gets caught up in a crash during the points race portion of the omnium event. British cyclist Mark Cavendish
apologized for causing the crash, which led to South Korea's Park Sang-hoon being taken off on a stretcher.
A picture taken underwater shows Chinese synchronized swimmers Huang Xuechen and Sun Wenyan competing in the duets preliminaries.
Brazilian weightlifter Mateus Gregorio competes in the 105-kilogram (231-pound) category.
German diver Martin Wolfram practices at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre.
A shamrock is shaved into the hair of Vancouver K, ridden by Ireland's Judy Reynolds, as they compete in the individual dressage competition.
Refreshment bottles are held over women competing in the 10-kilometer open water swimming event.
Athletes start round one of the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Canada's Allison Beveridge and Germany's Anna Knauer fall during the scratch race portion of the omnium track cycling event.
Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong of Malaysia celebrate after winning a quarterfinal badminton match.
U.S. athlete Emma Coburn competes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final. She won the bronze.
While the judges had Levit just ahead after the first round, with two of them giving it to the 28-year-old, all three agreed that Tishchenko won the second.
Levit stepped up a gear in the third, with Tishchenko slipping and losing his balance.
The contest was halted temporarily by the referee after Tischenko suffered a cut.
But the 25-year-old, who returned after receiving treatment, negotiated the rest of the round to secure victory.
"It means a lot to me because I've been going for this result for all my life," Tischenko added. "I am very happy with my victory."