‘Sickened’ Conlan considering turning pro earlier than expected

MICHAEL Conlan has considered stepping off the Road to Rio and jumping on the pro gravy train earlier than expected after his controversial WSB reverse last weekend.

The talented Belfast bantamweight was left ‘sick to the stomach’ after defeat to home favourite Kariat Yeraliyev in Kazakhstan last weekend.

Yarilev was awarded the fight on a split decision after a cut to the Kazakh’s left eye caused the bout to be stopped one minute and 53 seconds into the fifth and final round, but Conlan and his team argue the cut came via a punch meaning the London 2012 medallist should have been awarded victory.

The loss see’s Conlan drop to third in the rankings and makes qualifying for the Olympics via the WSB that bit harder.

The confident soon to be father is confident he has the ability to qualify via the traditional European and World routes, but is now more worried than ever about been the victim of poor judging and indeed being ‘cheated’. As a result the fighter, who has been attracting massive interest from pro promoters, admits a change of code before Rio has crossed his mind.

“It just made me feel sick,” said the Olympic medallist in Dublin yesterday. “I wasn’t sitting in the dressing-room crying. I was just sitting there wondering what’s going on and would this happen if I was professional?

“Would I be competing in these countries if I was professional? I was wondering if it was worth my time waiting but, when you’re talking millions, it is worth your time. It was my initial reaction. We’ll see how it is at the end of the WSB. We’ll see where I am and what I want to do because I know I’ll be in Rio if I want to be in Rio. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s the fact of being robbed. What happens if you go to the Olympics and you’re robbed out of something?”