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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Irish amateur champion boxer Michael Conlan has signed with Top Rank Promotions one month after his upset loss at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Top Rank announced the signing Monday.
Conlan won a bronze medal at the London Olympics and claimed the bantamweight world title in 2015, but he lost a decision to Russia's Vladimir Nikitin in the quarterfinals of the Rio Games.
Conlan reacted furiously to his loss to the bloodied Nikitin, stripping off his vest and making obscene gestures at the judges from the ring. He also made wide-reaching claims of corruption against the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and vowed never to fight as an amateur again.
Top Rank intends to promote the 24-year-old Conlan primarily in the U.S. with hopes of building him into a bankable star.
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