The 24-year-old’s Russian opponent tried to drag Conlan into a fight, swinging furiously at times, but Irish fighter was light on his feet, worked his jab and landed a series of combinations.
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The judges awarded the first round to Nikitin 10-9 in what appeared to be a dominant performance from Conlan, drawing misses from his opponent and landing quick flurries on the counter. “They’ll always be cheats”.
However, all three judges gave the Russian the first round.
Incredibly it was the Russians hand raised as the victor when the fight was over and even more astonishingly – on a unanimous decision.
I’ll never box for AIBA again; they’re cheating b*******. “My dream’s been shattered now”.
“I was here to win Olympic gold. Amateur boxing stinks, from the core right to the top”. “They’re f**king cheats. they’re known for being cheats”.
However, even Vladimir Putin wouldn’t have said his compatriot did enough to win the bout.
Today, I thought I boxed the ears off him in the first round, and they ruled against me.
“I think this will stand me in good stead for the next fight”.
London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor went out in controversial circumstances yesterday to Finland’s Mira Potkonen. It was a close fight, but she didn’t lose, ‘ he said.
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Ireland’s boxers and their fans are left to ponder what went wrong with a team who had left for Rio with high hopes of multiple medals.
