“We’re paying out on Michael Conlan to win gold at Rio 2016 & to win his fight today against Nikitin after that shocking decision.”, tweeted Paddy Power.
After losing in the quarter finals to Russian opponent Vladimir Nikitin in the bantamweight division of the Olympic boxing tournament, Irish boxer Michael Conlan strongly criticized the International Amateur Boxing Federation (AIBA), saying that he was denied the gold medal. Additionally he tweeted Russian president Vladimir Putin, asking how much money the AIBA asked for in exchange for a Nikitin win.
Vladimir Nikitin won his fight against Conlan by unanimous decision and progressed through to the semi-finals where he was set to face American Shakur Stevenson. However, the Russian will now no longer partake in the fight due to injury. Despite this, he will still receive a bronze medal.