Ireland's Michael Conlan departs Rio with foul-mouthed tirade

Michael Conlan departed the Rio Olympics with a foul-mouthed tirade after finding himself on the wrong end of a controversial unanimous decision against Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin in their bantamweight quarterfinal.

Ireland’s reigning world champion could not hide his anger when the three judges sided with his opponent after three fast and furious rounds, leaving his dream of building on his bronze medal at London 2012 in tatters.

Conlan fired expletives in a post-fight interview with RTE: “AIBA are cheats. They’re f—ing cheats. That’s me — I’ll never box for AIBA again.

“They’re cheating bastards, they’re paying everybody. I don’t give a f— that I’m cursing on TV. I was here to win Olympic gold. My dream’s been shattered now. But you know what? I’ve a big career ahead of me.

“These [unintelligible] — they’re known for being cheats, and they’ll always be cheats. Amateur boxing stinks, from the core right to the top.”

The 24-year-old further expanded on his feelings to media in the press mixed zone, where he vowed never to box in an AIBA-sanctioned competition again.

Conlan said: “My little dream has been ruined. I will never box in an AIBA competition again — I feel they are one of the most corrupt organisations in the world.

“If you have watched these Olympic Games and seen some of the decisions, Olympic boxing is dead. It’s whoever pays the most money — whoever has the most, wins.

“One thing I can say for sure is I will never box in an AIBA competition again as they are rotten to the core.

Ireland boxer Michael Conlan’s reaction to defeat was plain to see. Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images
“If they offered me five million to box in APB [AIBA’s professional arm], I’d tell them, ‘you probably got that for me losing’. I will not box for them again.”

Conlan was the last Irish boxer standing in the competition after shock early defeats for Paddy Barnes and Katie Taylor, and was expected to move through to the medal rounds again.

But the Russian caught the eye of the judges in a ferocious first three minutes which it appeared Conlan may have shaded.

The Irishman had a better second, after which he dragged the scores level, but Nikitin got the verdict after smothering much of Conlan’s cleaner work and turning the last round into a brawl.

Conlan shook his head and waved his arms in frustration when the verdict was announced, while a section of the crowd including his Irish teammates jeered.

The controversy over the verdict follows a highly contentious decision in the men’s heavyweight final on Monday night, when another Russian, Evgeny Tishchenko, was awarded a unanimous win over Kazakhstan’s Vasiliy Levit to a chorus of boos.

In a statement, the Olympic Council of Ireland said: “While we understand and share Michael’s disappointment with the decision today, the OCI does not condone his comments or conduct. We will evaluate internally before taking any action on today’s events.”