Road to Rio paved with frustration as Conlan forced to roll with the punches

Michael Conlan will know next month whether he intends to continue on his current road to Rio, or whether the frustrating vagaries of amateur boxing’s scoring system finally push him into the professional game.

The Belfast bantam had been on track to qualify for the Olympic Games through the World Series of Boxing (WSB) with Italia Thunder, only for a controversial defeat to home favourite Kariat Yeraliyev in Kazakhstan last weekend to throw him off course.

Yarilev was awarded the fight on a split decision after a cut to the Kazakh’s left eye caused the bout to be stopped one minute and 53 seconds into the fifth and final round. It was a decision that saw Conlan drop to third in the rankings and outside the qualification.

Conlan and his team initially believed the Kazakh had been cut by a punch, which should have resulted in a TKO for the Irishman, but hopes of an appeal faded when subsequent footage showed that the laceration had been caused by a clash of heads.

Nevertheless, it was a result that left Conlan, fans and most neutrals mystified with the fighter stating yesterday that he felt “cheated” by a home-town decision while adding that his only other loss thus far was another miscarriage of justice.

“It just made me feel sick,” said the Olympic medallist in Dublin yesterday. “I wasn’t sitting in the dressing-room crying. I was just sitting there wondering what’s going on and would this happen if I was professional?

Would I be competing in these countries if I was professional? I was wondering if it was worth my time waiting but, when you’re talking millions, it is worth your time. It was my initial reaction. We’ll see how it is at the end of the WSB. We’ll see where I am and what I want to do because I know I’ll be in Rio if I want to be in Rio. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s the fact of being robbed. What happens if you go to the Olympics and you’re robbed out of something?”

Conlan is not out of the reckoning yet. Next up is number one ranked American, Francisco Martinez. Win that and his last two fights and he would be there or thereabouts and two of those last three appearances will be on ‘home’ soil in Italy.

“The last one is on April 18. That’s when I’ll know,” he said of his big decision. I know I can get gold in Rio. I’m saying that confidently right now. This year isn’t going to be a problem for me. Gold in Rio is what I see.

Conlan, Paddy Barnes and the other Irish participants currently fighting in the WSB and APB Boxing circuits may also qualify for Rio via the traditional route of European and World Games and dedicated qualifying tournaments. Barnes is perfectly poised to claim his place in the 2016 Games next month, despite being in a division where only the top man goes through, thanks to a 4-0 record with Italia Thunder after his latest win in Astana.

“There is another guy (Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov who) has won all his fights too, but he’s ranked number two,” said Barnes. “I don’t know why. It’s strange but I can’t complain, like, if I’m number one. All I can do is go out and fight and do my best.”

Conlan and Barnes were speaking at an event to mark 100 days to the inaugural European Games in Baku, where Ireland will be represented by a team of 62 athletes across eleven sports. The boxers will be the main focus for an Irish audience that will be able to watch eight hours of coverage per day, as well as a highlights programme, on Setanta Sports from June 12-28. BT Sports will also be screening the action from Azerbaijan.