Rio 2016: Michael Conlan launches foul-mouthed attack on amateur boxing board for 'cheating' him out of Games

24-year-old Conlan launched a furious verbal attack on the AIBA after his quarter-final defeat

Irish boxer Michael Conlan launched a scathing attack on amateur boxing after losing his bantamweight quarter-final against Vladimir Nikitin.

A number of social media users vented their anger on Twitter after the bout at what they perceived to be a fixed match, given that Conlan appeared to land more, clean punches than his Russian opponent.

It soon transpired that 24-year-old Conlan was in complete agreement, and he gave an astonishing expletive-laden interview with Irish broadcaster RTE immediately after the bout, in which he accused the governing body for amateur boxing, the AIBA, of being “the most corrupt organisation in the world”.

“AIBA are cheats, they’re f***ing cheats, simple as that,” Conlan said. “I’ll never box for AIBA again, they’re cheating b***ards who are paying everybody. I don’t give a f*** if I’m cursing on TV.

“I was here for Olympic gold, my dream’s been shattered now, and I have a big career ahead of me, and these, they’re known for being cheats and they’ll always been cheats. Amateur boxing stinks, from the core right to the top.”

Had Conlan won, he would have been guaranteed a bronze medal at least and faced Shakur Stevenson of the United States in the semi-finals, with a shot at gold in the bantamweight final up for grabs.