Former WBA interim featherweight champion Michael Conlan has not been seen within the ring since dropping to Jordan Gill in December 2023. That defeat got here in a bout for the vacant WBA worldwide tremendous featherweight title.
In an interview with Boxing Social, Mick Conlan has confirmed Grant Smith might be his new coach going ahead now. Ideas on the transfer? pic.twitter.com/FKVLmPl0bM
— Irish-Boxing.com (@Irishboxingcom) August 21, 2024
Conlan has dismissed any retirement discuss and plans to make his twenty second skilled combat in early 2025. He has been working with new coach Grant Smith forward of his return to the game.
Conlan Nonetheless Aspires to Win a World Title
The Irish boxer stays one of many highest ranked boxers within the tremendous featherweight division, so with an enormous efficiency in his comeback combat, he might drive one other world title shot subsequent yr.
Conlan might be retaining an in depth eye on the conflict between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez for the WBO title later this yr. Navarrete is the two/5 favorite within the sports activities betting to defend his title in that combat.
The Paddy Energy weblog has offered suggestions and predictions of Conlan’s fights previously, and can doubtless do the identical forward of his subsequent bout. The weblog may also present particulars of the opposite world tremendous featherweight title fights in early 2025. Lamont Roach Jr, O’Shaquie Foster and Anthony Cacace are the opposite belt holders within the division, and Conlan might be doing all he can to push for a combat with both of these males.
Gill Loss Was Sudden
Conlan was stopped within the seventh spherical of his final combat with Gill in Belfast. He was knocked down within the second spherical of the competition, and regardless of exhibiting indicators of restoration, the bout ended when the referee waved his arms simply after the halfway level.
A rematch with Gill is one risk that Conlan’s promoters might be contemplating. The English boxer misplaced in his newest combat in opposition to Zelfa Barrett in Manchester. That introduced his skilled report as much as 28-3-1.
Previous to the Gill bout, Conlan suffered his second defeat of his profession when he misplaced an IBF featherweight title conflict with Luis Alberto Lopez, as the BBC reported. He was stopped within the fifth spherical of that combat in opposition to the Mexican.
Alberto Lopez made two additional defences of his IBF crown to Joet Gonzalez and Reiya Abe, earlier than dropping it to Angelo Leo in an all-Mexican conflict earlier this yr in Albuquerque.
Conlan Considered one of The Most Embellished Irish Boxers in Historical past
The 2015 RTE Sports activities Particular person of the Yr is without doubt one of the most embellished beginner Irish boxers in historical past. Conlan gained a bronze medal on the 2012 London Olympics within the flyweight division. Simply two years later, he landed the gold medal on the 2014 Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow.
2015 proved to be an enormous yr for the Irish boxer as he gained gold medals on the World Beginner Championship and European Beginner Championships. These outcomes proved he was the main beginner boxer on the earth on the time within the bantamweight division.
Sadly for Conlan, he was unable to win a medal on the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He defeated Aram Avagyan within the opening spherical however was then defeated within the quarter-finals in a controversial combat with Vladimir Nikitin. Conlan was satisfied he had accomplished sufficient to win that contest however the judges scored it in opposition to him.
On the age of simply 32, Conlan stays younger sufficient to have extra success on the highest stage within the ring. He might be hoping his newest partnership with Smith brings out one of the best of him in 2025.
