World champion Michael Conlan has expressed his shock at the defeat of Michael O’Reilly at the European Olympic qualifiers in Turkey and has offered an insight into the pressure fighters face as they battle for Rio qualification.
O’Reilly bagged a bronze in the middleweight division at the World Championships in Doha last October, but the top seed fell at the first hurdle in Samsun as Finland’s Ilari Kijala shocked the Portlaoise man.
“I don’t know how it’s happened,” a baffled Conlan admitted.
“He just must not have turned up today and had a bad day at the office, but there is another qualifier for him and fortunately, with his talent, he will qualify.”
Light-welterweight Dean Walsh exited the event on Monday when top seed Lorenzo Sotomayor of Azerbaijan prevailed on a split decision, but Conlan believes the Wexford man was hard done by.
“There always is going to be upsets, but I heard Dean Walsh was very, very unlucky,” the Belfast bantamweight added.
“I heard he was actually robbed badly. He was fighting the number one seed and he lost on a split decision. One judge gave him every single round, so it’s a bit unfortunate for Dean, but he’s has a great ability too and he can go and qualify in the next one.”
Conlan has been encouraged by the opening wins of both lightweight David Oliver Joyce and middleweight Christina Desmond in Turkey.
“David’s been so unlucky the last two Games not to qualify,” he said. “For him to get the win today and get himself off to a winning and a good positive start in these qualifiers is brilliant.
“Christina Desmond pulled out the win of the day yesterday, beating the number one seed.
“I honestly didn’t expect it. I know Christina is improving all the time but that Dutch girl was a very, very good fighter, and to me it was a shock. I’m just delighted for Christina, she deserves it so much.”
Revealing the huge pressure boxers face in their bids for berths at the Olympic Games in Rio, Conlan said: “It’s probably harder than going to most competitions when there’s an Olympic qualification on the line. It makes it that extra bit harder. The pressure is an extra bit higher.
“I qualified at the start of the year and I was able to go to the World Championships with no pressure on me.
“I didn’t need to worry about qualification. All I needed to worry about was winning.
“If I go back to last year last April when I did qualify, that fight, getting over the line when I thought it was all gone because somebody else won - and I ended up getting over the line - it as unbelievable.
“It’s going to be an amazing feeling for the people that do qualify because I remember it like it was yesterday.
“Both times it was the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life.
“Sometimes it’s actually better than winning an Olympic medal when you think about it, because all people want to do is get to the Games, and when they get there, they get to enjoy it. But this is the hardest bit of it - qualifying first.”
