“Funny Old Game” – Eddie Hearn outlines Mick Conlan Plan
Saturday night is a massive sliding doors moment for Michael Conlan says Eddie Hearn.
Beat Jordan Gill on top of the ‘Get Back’ card in the SSE Arena and Conlan opens the doors to world title stadium fights. Lose and it’s ‘bye bye’.
Hearn, who promotes in Belfast for the first time in six years on Saturday, would be happy to return to the fight capital of Ireland with the two-time world title challenger if he gets back to winning ways on Saturday but claims a ‘statement’ performance against the former European champion could lead to massive world title fights with the likes of Joe Cordina or old for Leigh Wood.
In fact, the Matchroom boss has called for a performance that would create demand for bouts between Conlan and the Cardiff or Nottingham natives.
“If Michael Conlan loses, his career is over. But if he wins and wins well… It’s a funny old game, isn’t it? You lose: Bye-bye. You win: Wow! What’s ahead – Joe Cordina? Josh Warrington? There are massive fights ahead. We went to Dublin in May and everyone left the arena [after Katie Taylor lost] with their head in their hands and then Michael got beat by Lopez the following week and it was like Irish boxing was finished.
“Now [after Taylor won and if Conlan wins] I’m looking at it, thinking: ‘We might not just come to Belfast and Dublin next year, we might go to Limerick or Cork’.
“Michael sells. He’s expected to beat Jordan Gill and he’s coming off a knockout defeat but we should have 7,000 in there on Saturday which is a big old crowd. You know he sells, you know the atmosphere will be fantastic and we have a lot of guys at 130lbs that he can fight.
“If he was to make a statement he will walk straight into a massive fight. If Conlan went to the City Ground in Nottingham [for a Wood rematch] he might bring 8-9,000. If he went to Cardiff [to fight IBF 130lbs champion Cordina] he’d take 5-6,000 or Joe might come here for a big outdoor show for the World Title.
“Michael has the benefit of being able to draw crowds wherever he goes and that will walk him into a big fight but if he loses it’s over. He’s got to look good, he can’t struggle and look like a faded fighter. It’s got to be a performance where everybody goes: ‘Wow!’ Then those other fights become very easy to make.”
