Michael Conlan's Olympic dream has been shattered and it's an absolute disgrace.
Anyone watching the fight knew full well that Conlan outboxed his Russian opponent, but after seeing the scoring for the first round, where Vladimir Nikitin was awarded the round by all three judges despite being outclassed, it became obvious that something was up.
Conlan let rip after the decision was confirmed, branding the AIBA "fucking cheats" in a passionate interview that everyone watching fully agreed with, and he was not the only one to speak out.
Paddy Barnes' immediate reaction tells you exactly how he felt about the decision:
Watch @paddyb_ireland's immediate reaction to the decision of the judges in Michael Conlan's fight.https://t.co/rx4FRC3uMH
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 16, 2016
And he has been on the warpath on Twitter too.
@AIBA_Boxing your a fucking disgrace to sport!
— Paddy Barnes (@paddyb_ireland) August 16, 2016
At least have balls and say he was robbed blind https://t.co/UGbyyND5b7
— Paddy Barnes (@paddyb_ireland) August 16, 2016
@EwanMacKenna your an arsehole are you in Rio?
— Paddy Barnes (@paddyb_ireland) August 16, 2016
Understandably disgusted.
Fighters taking a stand against the AIBA in this manner is a very, very big deal and hopefully it gets the international recognition that it deserves. It's utterly shameless corruption and is frankly embarrassing for the organisation.
