World Tilte Belief Alive as Michael Conlan Enters Do or Die Territory
Micheal Conlan is at peace with the do-or-die nature of his career but remains adamant that his world title dream is still very much alive.
On Friday night, the Belfast featherweight will step through the ropes at Dublin’s 3Arena for the first time as a professional, knowing full well the stakes could not be higher.
A loss to Jack Bateson, he accepts, would almost certainly spell the end of his time in the ring.
A win, however, could breathe new life into his world title ambitions and keep alive the dream he has chased since turning over from the amateurs with Olympic pedigree and huge expectations.
It is, as Conlan himself describes, the “last chance saloon.” Yet while he speaks with the serenity of a man at peace with all possible outcomes, there remains a burning desire to fulfil his potential and finally capture the world championship belt that many argued he was destined to buckle around his waist.
The 33-year-old insists he has come to terms with the harsh realities of the sport, but the hunger to win on the biggest stage is still there.
“I’m at peace with everything and for whatever happens on Friday night,” the 33-year-old told BBC. “What will be, will be. If I were to lose, then that’s it [career] done, but if I win then I’m moving on towards a world title. I’ve got to give everything I can and I’m willing to do that.
“You hear me now say things like ‘it’s the last chance saloon’ and ‘if I don’t win a world title then so be it, but if I do then fantastic’. These are things I’ve come to terms with, but if you have the opportunity, then take it with both hands.”
The Olympic medal winner enters the Bateson fight on the back of a March victory in Brighton, where he shook off the ring rust with a solid points win over Asad Asif Khan. That contest was also his first under new trainer Grant Smith, a man he credits with sharpening his already well equipt tools.
“He is a fantastic coach and a great man away from boxing,” Conlan said. “He’s tweaked the things that needed tweaked. My defence is much better and you could probably see evidence of that in the last fight. That was only after a couple of months together, so the fact we’ve had nearly a year now is great and it feels like I’m improving again.”
