THERE WAS OUTRAGE following Michael Conlan’s controversial loss at the Rio Olympics today.
Dubious judging saw Conlan lose to Russian Vladimir Nikitin by unanimous decision, and fellow Team Ireland boxer Paddy Barnes was among those to criticise the call, claiming that the AIBA were a “f*****g disgrace to sport”.
In the RTÉ studio, Bernard Dunne, Michael Carruth and Mick Dowling were similarly perturbed.
Dunne branded the judging “ridiculous,” saying: “AIBA really needs to look at itself… (That judging) turns people off boxing.”
“What are they looking at in this Championship, it’s an absolute disgrace,” added Carruth
“I thought the Katie (Taylor decision) was really bad yesterday, but this takes the biscuit. What do I teach my kids from this?”
Mick Dowling was also perplexed, commenting: “It’s ironic that we spoke about judging just before the off in this contest. If Michael Conlan didn’t win that round, then I know nothing about boxing.”
Dunne also called for the officials involved in the fight to be suspended owing to the controversial decision.
Plenty of others on Twitter also weighed into the argument.
You can view the full RTÉ reaction here.
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Nice to hear a little insight into some coaches minds. Some points stand out that could be taken on board at any level.