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Mick Conlan reveals the 17 year old Irish boxer he is tipping for stardom

Mick Conlan [2(2)-0] was in New York last night to cheer on the Irish football team as they took on Mexico in a friendly match.

Today he returned to Los Angeles to begin training for his third pro fight – against recent Australian title challenger Jarrett Owen on the Pacquiao v Horn undercard in Brisbane on July 2nd.

During the six hour cross country flight Conlan would engage in a Q&A session with fans to pass the time. There was a range of questions – we now know Conlan prefers black pudding to white pudding – and the super bantamweight starlet would reveal which young Irish boxer will make waves internationally in the coming years.

Conlan’s choice was 17 year old Limerick light welter Paddy Donovan.

The OLOL boxer is a slick southpaw with an immense skillset. Nine times an Irish champion, Donovan also won World Junior silver in 2015.

An advanced fighter, Donovan is a regular sparring partner for British, Commonwealth, and European super bantamweight champion Kid Galahad, and has also recently shared the ring with top Irish seniors Steven Donnelly and Sean McComb.

paddy donovan

Part of a fighting family, Donovan’s younger brother Edward, also a light welter, won European Junior gold last year.

It’s not the first time Donovan has received high praise from an Olympic medal winner either.

Next up for Paddy is a trip to the European Youth Championships in Turkey this September – and the talented teen has told Irish-Boxing.com that he has nothing else on his mind but gold.

Conlan, who retains a keen interest in all levels of amateur boxing, also gave his thoughts on the European Men’s Senior Championships which take place this month in Kharkiv. The Belfast man, who won gold at the last edition, is tipping Steven Donnelly, Joe Ward, Kurt Walker, and Sean McComb to medal for Ireland in Ukraine.

frayne carpentry

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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