Michael Conlan is just about ready to move on to bigger and better things but first, he wants to right a wrong.
Conlan is determined to prove that his infamous “amateur boxing stinks” rant was based on truth by sharing the ring with former Olympic foe Vladimir Nikitin in the professional ranks.
Belfast’s Conlan was shocked when the judges in charge of his Rio 2016 bantamweight quarter-final gave Nikitin the win, prompting the Irishman to abandon amateur boxing to sign with Top Rank.
Conlan has been enjoying a steady build ever since and retained his WBO Inter-Continental featherweight title with a routine 100-90 shutout of Ruben Garcia Hernandez on Sunday night in New York City.
Top Rank were well aware what they were doing when they signed Nikitin to a deal and scheduled him to fight on the same evening as Conlan this weekend, with the Russian eking out a decision victory over Juan Tapia to keep any hopes of a rematch with Conlan alive.
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As he came to terms with a third consecutive St. Patrick’s Day win as a pro, Conlan made clear his intentions for his next trip through the ropes.
“I love coming here for the fans,” Conlan said in his post-fight interview.
“Vladimir Nikitin, I know you’re here tonight and we need to do it again. We need to have that rematch. I need to right a wrong that shouldn’t have been written.”
