Michael Conlan's Olympic ending was one the most infamous incidents in the history of Irish participation at the games. His controversial defeat against Russian Vladimir Nikitin prompted a full-throttle interview where the Belfast boxer derided AIBA and quickly launched a pro career. Now he's revealed Nikitin recently reached out via Instagram.
Conlan was evidently the better boxer when the pair met. On the inside, his left jab repeatedly pinned Nikitin back while at range his lateral movement made it near impossible for the Russian to land. Despite this, Nikitin was awarded the win.
It was recently announced that Nikitin is set to turn professional with the same company as Conlan, setting up an eagerly anticipated rematch. As Conlan told ESPN, this is the fight he wants.
The one I really want is Nikitin. Nikitin messaged me on Instagram the other day, sent me a picture of the article saying he has signed with Top Rank and saying something in Russian like 'I am your friend'.
I didn't reply to it, I have no ill feeling towards him personally, it wasn't his fault and he didn't profit from it and he's probably got more stick than he should have. He's the fella I want and it's very marketable.
Conlan also addressed recent criticism surrounding the standard of his opponents, claiming he has his eye set on higher quality: "I get an awful lot of stick from people saying who are you fighting. I know, I've been asking for better and better because the better the opponent the better the pay day."
Conlan is in action this weekend on the undercard of the Jorge Linares versus Vasyl Lomachenko WBA World lightweight title fight at Madison Square Garden.
