What Happens to Conlan After Third Career Defeat?
Michael Conlan was handed his third career defeat at the weekend. The Belfast-born boxer used to be a shining star and Ireland’s biggest hope in men’s boxing, with some thinking he could have been as successful as Katie Taylor. Now, at 18-3, that reality looks less likely.
Conlan’s Drop to 18-3
Back in 2022, Michael Conlan was at the pinnacle of his career. He was the interim WBA featherweight champion after defeating TJ Doheny at Falls Park in Belfast. This led to his unification bout with Leigh Wood. The Irish fighter was rowdy and confident in the build-up and said he wanted to go to Nottingham and upset the home crowd by dethroning the city’s champion. Wood, a humble man, made him pay for it in the match by delivering a stunning KO punch. Conlan, against the ropes, eventually fell out of the ring onto the floor. The Irish boxer’s career has arguably been falling ever since having lost to Luis Alberto Lopez and, last weekend, Jordan Gill. He could be declining in quality.
KO Loss to Gill Looks Very Bad
Getting knocked out is an occupational hazard for all boxers. Yet, a KO or TKO loss can radically reshape a career resume. Conlan has lost three fights, all by KO method, which opens him up for criticism. Firstly, promoters are less likely to rate him going forward as he’s unable to stay in top fights. Secondly, opposition boxers see him as easy prey to stop during a match. In his last fight, Jordan Gill scored a KO victory which significantly sours Conlan’s record. Why so? Gill is seldom a KO specialist. He’s only won one other fight via KO, and that was a much lower level of opposition for a continental title.
Wins Between the Losses Don’t Cut the Mustard
Michael Conlan has at least been busy since March 2022. His five fights in the period have seen him lose to Leigh Wood, Luis Alberto Lopez, and Jordan Gill. In the same tenure, Conlan has won matches against Miguel Marriaga and Karim Guerfi. These wins came in non-title fights but failed to impress in any great capacity. The first-round KO win over Guerfi might be an interesting footnote on his career, but these matches look like little more than arbitrary wins.
Conlan Needs to Step Away from Home Ground
One issue that Michael Conlan has is that he’s become far too comfortable with fighting on home turf in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He’s a proud Irishman for sure, but he’s not showing the wider boxing world his capabilities, unlike the earlier days of his career where he’d hop all over the world to fight in a rich variety of cards. Instead, taking the spotlight all the time at the SSE Arena gives him a false sense of security.
Conlan needs to take some co-main or even lower-level fights; just fight, away from the media circus of him being the hometown hero and box for the sake of boxing. Big fights under the gaze of Las Vegas or New York would still help his bank balance and improve his chances of getting back to the title picture.
How Does Conlan Get Back Into Title Contention?
It could be a long way back to championship fights for Michael Conlan, given his recent record. After losing to Leigh Wood, Conlan proved his worth in the two aforementioned fights against the underdogs of the division. At the age of 32, however, the promoters and boxing community aren’t going to be as impressed if he defeats lower-rank opposition. If he’s to continue striving for championship glory, he needs to accept fights at the same level. Josh Warrington, a re-match with Jordan Gill, or even Joet Gonzalez.
Could Conlan Fight Warrington?
British boxing news websites usually salivate over the prospect of an all-British matchup where a lot is on the line. In theory, there’s no better matchup than for Michael Conlan and Josh Warrington to fight each other with the hopes of getting back in the top echelons of the featherweight rankings. The reward would be to still be relevant in the division, whereas the risk is being cast a lot further down to the rankings. Warrington is in a similar situation to Conlan, having suffered consecutive defeats, incurring his third career loss in 2023. Interestingly, both men were defeated by Luis Alberto Lopez.
Step Away from Professional Boxing
Michael Conlan doesn’t necessarily have to stay in professional boxing. While it can be a logistical nightmare, pros can return to the amateur ranks. While not as glamorous as the pro game, Conlan is one of Ireland’s most successful amateur boxers of all time. Instead of laboring through the pro game, could he return to the amateur circuit and continue to build his legacy at that level? That is, of course, if the amateur ranks will have him back after multiple issues with behavior.
Or he could decide that he’s done with in-ring competition altogether. He’s already said that he will ‘take some time out’ to be with his family. In the past he’s worked on multiple television shows, including Celebrity Apprentice Ireland and Road to Rio. Could this be a potential avenue for Conlan? Such media appearances offer a much safer working environment than the boxing ring, that’s for sure. Or he could combine his passion for boxing with TV work and appear as a pundit instead of actually fighting himself.
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