Michael Conlan confident of sweeping aside pro fighters en route to Olympic gold

Welcoming the challenge.

The AIBA might have thrown an almighty curveball into this year's Olympic Games by announcing plans to allow professional boxers compete for the first time, but bantamweight world champion Michael Conlan remains rock-solid in his conviction that he will add Olympic gold to his glistening resume. The Belfast boxer is one of Ireland's best medal hopes heading to Rio this summer, after dominating the World Series of Boxing last year and then winning European and world titles. Now Conlan faces the prospect of the addition of a new cadre of rivals for glory in Brazil, but he believes the differences between the disciplines will ensure he will hold the advantage. “I’m happy to welcome them in,” he told RTÉ. “I love it. “I think we have the advantage. We’re sprinters and they’re long distance runners and it’s still a sprint. We’re not running a long distance race. Three rounds is what we do and it’s what we’ll be doing. “They do six, eight or 12 rounds and they’ll have to come down to three. That’s quite hard. “If these pros feel like they’re going to come down from 12 rounds to three rounds they have another thing coming. Conlan, who won bronze in London four years ago, was speaking at the launch of the IABA's Let's KO Bullying initiative, added: “I’m confident in my ability no matter who I fight. These Games are going to be exciting for me. “I believe I’ll go there and win every fight convincingly, I believe I’ll pick up my gold medal and I believe I’ll be walking down Copacabana beach with my baby and my medal and some pineapples!"