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Rigondeaux pays tribute to “Irish brother” Mick Conlan


Guillermo Rigondeaux has heaped praise on Ireland’s Mick Conlan ahead of sharing a card with the Belfast featherweight this weekend.

The Cuban maestro headlines at The Theater at Madison Square Garden this Saturday, taking on Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko in a battle of the double Olympic gold medalists – while Conlan features on the undercard in a six rounder.

Fight week is underway in the Big Apple, and yesterday the pair met at the Mendez Gym during the public workout.

Rigondeaux certainly seemed happy to bump into the Top Rank prospect, who fights Luis Fernando Molina [7(2)-3(0)-1] on the bill, and looked to get a picture.

The WBA super bantamweight champion, who jumps up to challenge for Lomachenko’s WBO super featherweight crown, tweeted afterwards that it was the “highlight of my day.”

Conlan, of course, responded warmly.

Rigondeaux has a close relationship with Ireland having initially been managed by Cork’s Gary Hyde, having fought Limerick’s Willie Casey in Dublin, and having called out Belfast’s Carl Frampton for years – not to mention that he won an amateur World gold in the Titanic City in 2001.

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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