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29th September 2021
08:21pm BST

"Yeah, AIBA are cheats. They’re f***ing cheats. That’s me. I’ll never box for AIBA again. They’re cheating bastards who are paying everybody. I don’t give a f*** if I’m cursing on TV. That here is the Olympic gold. My dreams have been shattered now. Do you know what? I’ve a big career ahead of me. And these ones? They’re known for being cheats and they’ll always be cheats. Amateur boxing stinks from the core right to the top."Coming the day after Katie Taylor had also been controversially eliminated from the games, Irish fans were fuming. Conlan was fined for his comments, but talk soon emerged of an investigation into several top AIBA judges. FIVE YEARS later [bold, capital letters used on purpose!], the results of an extensive investigation into the boxing judges at Rio 2016 are set to be released. [caption id="attachment_237284" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
Michael Conlan of Ireland following his Bantamweight Quarter final defeat to Vladimir Nikitin of Russia at the Riocentro Pavillion 6 Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)[/caption]
Led by Professor Richard McClaren, the full report is to be circulated on Thursday and it is expected to state that 'seven to 10 fights' they investigated were "suspicious". One of those fights is believed to be Conlan vs. Nikitin, according to The Guardian.
The investigative report was sought after threats that the Aiba could be kicked out of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which would throw amateur boxing into chaos.
Prof. McClaren is set to hold a press conference in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday to reveal details of the first stage of his investigation into amateur boxing. Irish boxing supporters will be following events closely.
There may be some form of justice for one or two, or even three, Irish boxers yet.
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