Conlan arrived in Rio as favourite to take the gold, having won the World Championships in Qatar the previous year. In 2021, too late for it to be of much use to Conlan, the McLaren report on boxing was published. Michael Conlan makes his feelings clear following his highly controversial defeat to Vladimir Nikitin at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. Prior to Gill, he lost in world title fights against Leigh Wood in 2022 and Luis Alberto Lopez in 2023. “When you think he hasn’t won a world title, it doesn’t feel real.

Source: The Irish Times March 20, 2026 10:32 UTC