article: MaiquetIa, Venezuela: it's a long way from Bundoran — and a long way from the Belfast homes of Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan. The pair mischievously claimed that Donegal's seaside town was their destination of choice for a post-Olympic break following their respective bronze medal wins at London 2012, but they have certainly travelled far and wide during the current Olympiad. Barnes may have already been well known in Ireland prior to their achievements in London, but taking up his part in a charming double act with Conlan only endeared him further to a nation that unfortunately only flirts with the amateur version of the sport every four years before medallists appear on homecoming flights. Conlan (leff) lands a right jab on Matthew Martin during his bantamweight bout in Glasgow in 2014 . The reality of making that happen is far more complex, of course, and the efforts of Barnes and Conlan to make it to Rio 2016 are unprecedented. On Saturday night, the Belfast boys are potentially both one win away from qualifying for next summer's Olympic Games, with Barnes needing to ensure victory while Conlan must do likewise and depend on another result elsewhere. Their mission takes them to Maiquetia, northern Venezuela, where they will take on native opposition, the latest stop on the road-trip that is the World Series of Boxing (WSB) — a part of the convoluted new structure that once was 'amateur' boxing. WSB boxers are part of a franchise team, fighting individually over five three-minute rounds in a pro-style format. Barnes and Conlan box for the Italia Thunder team, but the sights and sounds of Milan and Rome were not what drew them to the competition. In fact, they have fought only three of their six bouts so far in Italy and while most WSB fighters receive payment, the Irish pair signed up with Olympic qualification as their sole motivation. Upon their return to Belfast after Saturday night's fight, they will have covered a distance of over 34,000 miles over the course of their various round trips. That is the equivalent of three trips from Dublin to Melbourne. They will have each fought seven fights in 13 weeks and, as of today, Barnes has boxed 29 rounds in 12 weeks to Conlan's 28. They are burnt out, peeved off and ready for rest — but only once their mission is complete Saturday night. Barnes is one victory away from qualifying for 2016 summer games in Rio . 'I just feel tired, I'm sick of it,' laments a worn-out Barnes, who is an undefeated 6-0. 'To fight every fortnight, travelling around the world, it's doing my head clean in. I'll be glad to get out of it. Hopefully I qualify and some good will have come from it. 'I was flying to Kazakhstan and I felt like crying on the plane, I felt like pulling out. I was very, very close. I think I was in Heathrow and I was going to get a plane back to Belfast. 'If I didn't qualify for the Olympics through this WSB, I'd have nothing to do with it. I've been training from November right through and then I'd need to go to the Europeans [Games] in June — I couldn't do that, like. I physically couldn't do that, it'd be impossible.' In addition to hand injuries, which have severely limited his training, Barnes has another battle he must overcome as he bids to become the first Irish boxer ever to reach a third Olympic Games. 'I hate flying, I just hate it, it depresses me even thinking about it. I can't even sleep, I'm that scared. I can't sleep, can't watch films, can't read books, I'm just too panicky, too nervous. 'I'll not even be able to drink water, never mind a beer to relax, because I'll be making weight.' If he sounds like a touch grouchy, it is understandable. While their fixture list has included destinations as culturally and geographically diverse as Guba in Azerbaijan, Palermo, Poland's Konin, Almaty in Kazakhstan, Rome, Milan and now Maiquetia, the two-time Olympic medallist explains that they do not get to soak up the glamorous aspects of the cities. 'Far from it,' says Barnes. 'You go away and you have to go to the worst areas, there's nothing extravagant about it. It's not five star — it's one-and-a-half star. 'You can't really see too much because we're only there for a short period of time and when we get there we're training to make the weight… We're home the next day [after the fight] in the early hours. So we're more or less in and out.' Michael Conlan (left) and Paddy Barnes sport their bronze medals following their success at London 2012 . Adding to Barnes' stress is his constant struggle to make the 49kg light-flyweight limit. The 28-year-old has been boxing in the same weight division for 12 years and tales of his notoriously cranky pre-weigh-in demeanour are common, with Conlan witnessing the battle first hand as his regular room-mate. 'It does make it easier because we're mates outside boxing,' says Barnes of the benefits of being signed up to the same team as his pugilist pal. 'We're travelling together and fighting together so it is good, I'd rather that then going away on my own because I think I'd pack it in. It's too much of a strain. 'But when we're away, I barely talk to him because he knows I'm making weight!' Conlan, the laidback member of the double act, takes a far more carefree approach to travel. 'Getting on a plane doesn't bother me, if you're going to die on a plane, you're going to die,' laughs Conlan. 'A lot of the flights I try and sleep through so I'll be waking up in their [local] time.' The 23-year-old recently became a father, with his young daughter just four weeks old, while Barnes is also a father to a daughter of 11 months. The pair have also stayed neck and neck in terms of international achievements since Conlan emerged on the senior scene in 2011 and the younger member of the duo is also appreciative of his friend's presence on WSB duty. 'It's good for both of us because I know when I'm training with him, we're both training hard and pushing each other,' says Conlan. 'Everything we've done up until this WSB since 2012 has been the exact same — Olympic bronze, European silver, Commonwealth gold. The fact that this WSB has messed me up a bit is a bit unfortunate but we're still going well,' adds Conlan, who is in qualification limbo after two disputed 'away' points decisions, increasing the temptation to turn pro . 'Winning [tonight] isn't going to be a problem, I'm just waiting on other results. It's a bit of a sickener, but it has to be done at the end of the day. I have to get in there and do what I have to do and win, do my part of the job.' 'I'll try not to make any dramatic decisions after the fight if it goes against me, but I have a sharp tongue at times and say stupid things,' says Conlan. 'Hopefully it all works out. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.' For Barnes, he maintains: 'The Olympic Games is what it's all about, it's every amateur boxer's dream and if I qualify, I'll be honoured to say I qualified for my third Olympic Games.'
highlights: Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan are competing in Maiquetia, northern Venezuela on Saturday night .
  The duo are hoping to qualify for the 2016 games in Rio .
  Barnes and Conlan box for the Italia Thunder team .
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