Michael Conlan was on the verge of pulling out of his must-win bout in the World Series of Boxing before opting to fight and claiming a dramatic win to book his place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games alongside team-mate Paddy Barnes . Both Belfast boxers ( bronze medallists at London 2012 ) , were in action for the Italia Thunder franchise in Venezuela on Saturday night , with the pair needing victories to book flights to Rio . Barnes delivered in style , extending his undefeated WSB record this season to 7-0 with a split-decision points win over native light-flyweight Yoel Finol . Michael Conlan has booked his Olympic place after results went his way in Venezuela on Saturday night . The two-time Olympic medallist dropped his opponent in the first round en route to claiming a 49-45 victory on two of the judges ’ cards while the remaining judge questionably scored the fight 48-47 in Finol ’ s favour . The spilt-decision win was enough to help Barnes top the 49kg WSB rankings , with the Ardoyne native leapfrogging Uzbekistan ’ s Hasanboy Dusmatov to claim the only Olympic qualification spot on offer through the competition . Conlan ’ s mission was a far more complex affair , however . Not only did the Falls Road fighter need to win — which he did , earning a 49-46 unanimous points win over Venezuelan opponent José Vicente Azocar — but he also had to rely on a shock result elsewhere . The 23-year-old leapt to No 2 in the WSB bantamweight rankings , claiming the second 56kg Olympic spot on offer thanks to his win and the fact that Azerbaijan ’ s Magomed Gurbanov lost to Luis Mora Hector Garcia in Puerto Rico . Garcia had Gurbanov down in the fifth and final round of their bout as the Puerto Rican became a cult hero for Irish boxing , akin to Scottish footballer Gary Mackay who booked a place at Euro ’ 88 for Jack Charlton ’ s Ireland side thanks to a goal against Bulgaria . The domino effect left Conlan in shock . The Belfast bantamweight was close to pulling out in frustration at his qualification limbo , and had all but made up his mind to turn professional in the near future before a dramatic U-turn . Conlan ’ s brother , Jamie , himself a promising professional boxer , was just one of the confidantes who contacted him to convince him to fight . Coaches Billy Walsh and John Conlan ( Michael ’ s father ) also played key roles in helping the boxer into the ring , continuing their sterling efforts throughout the competition . Both Conlan and Barnes won bronze at London 2012 , and will now represent Ireland again in Rio . ‘ It hasn ’ t sunk it yet . I couldn ’ t believe it . I wasn ’ t really up for it [ the fight ] at all because I didn ’ t think the Azeri would lose , ’ said Conlan , speaking exclusively to Sportsmail . ‘ I was thinking about pulling out [ on Friday ] . If I had ’ ve pulled out I would have been shattered now , lucky enough I didn ’ t . ‘ If I hadn ’ t have qualified , I would have turned professional . I couldn ’ t be bothered going to [ qualify through ] the European Games after going through all of this . ‘ When I got out of the ring , Paddy ran over and jumped on me and shouted , “ you ’ ve qualified ” and I said “ you ’ re lying to me , stop lying to me ! ” I nearly felt like crying , I just couldn ’ t believe it. ’ Conlan dedicated the result and his achievements to his girlfriend , Shauna and four-week old daughter , Luisne . ‘ I really wanted to qualify to have time with her and my kid . I ’ ve been looking forward to doing the night feeds and all ! The main reason I ’ ve done this is for her , I ’ m just so happy it all paid off. ’ Barnes , meanwhile , has created history by becoming the first Irish boxer ever to qualify for three Olympics . The 28-year-old had battled his fear of flying throughout his WSB mission , with Barnes and Conlan travelling over 34,000 miles over the course of seven WSB bouts . The ex-European champion now plans on taking an extended break until later in the year after an exhausting campaign which ended in glory . ‘ I ’ m over the moon , can ’ t get any better . I won ’ t even care about the flight because I know I ’ ve done it now — I won ’ t be flying around the place any more anyway ! ’ he said . Barnes , in quite colourful language , also told Sportsmail that both he and Conlan had to overcome upset stomachs to compete . Despite that , the pair ’ s glory run continues unabated .
Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes both win to reach Rio 2016 games . Conlan won his fight but had to rely on other results to make it through . Irishman dedicated his win to his girlfriend after fighting despite illness .