Updated 21.05
– Niall Kelly reports from Rio de Janeiro
THE MICHAEL CONLAN controversy took another cruel turn this evening as it emerged that the Russian boxer who knocked him out of the Olympics is unlikely to fight on due to his injuries.
Vladimir Nikitin was somehow deemed the unanimous winner of Tuesday’s bantamweight quarter-final, a farcical decision that sparked outrage in the Irish camp and made headlines around the world.
The Russian, who guaranteed a bronze medal at Conlan’s expense, is due to face rising American star Shakur Stevenson in Thursday’s semi-final.
But Billy Walsh, Stevenson’s coach, revealed that the Russian will be forced to pull out of the bout due to the injuries he sustained at the hands of the Belfast boxer.
Under AIBA rules, Nikitin does not have to officially withdraw until the morning weigh-in, leaving him with a little over 12 hours to allow his cuts to heal sufficiently.
Nikitin came into the Conlan fight carrying some facial injuries following his win in the last 16 against Chatchai Butdee — another contentious judging decision.
And the referee was forced to intervene numerous times in Tuesday’s bout as Conlan opened up cuts on the side of his head and over his eye.
By the final bell, Nikitin’s head was streaked with blood, and it now appears that those same injuries will prevent him from returning to the ring.
A walkover would see Stevenson, 19, progress to the 56kg final on Saturday where he would face Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez or Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan.
