AN ENRAGED Michael Conlan was left stunned and angry after he lost his Olympic quarter-final bout to rival Vladimir Nikitin of Russia.
Despite a dominant performance from the Belfast boxer, Conlan was behind after the first round, leaving him with a mountain to climb.
Conlan brought it level after the second round, but Nikitin won out in the end.
These ones are known for being cheats and they'll always be cheats
Talking to RTÉ shortly after the fight, Conlan blasted the sport as "rotten".
He said: "I was here for Olympic Gold. My dream's been shattered now."
"These ones are known for being cheats and they'll always be cheats", continued Conlon.
"Amateur boxing stinks from the core right to the top."
Michael Conlan follows other Irish boxing medal hopefuls Katie Taylor and Paddy Barnes in exiting the Olympics early.
Watch a snippet of the interview here:
Michael Conlan irate after controversial loss. Watch here: https://t.co/Sg2KTSRTDS https://t.co/4fXhWtjbsK
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 16, 2016