The Top Rank Michael Conlan partnership was officially announced to the world of boxing last night and represented arguably the biggest signing so far of a professional boxing promoter for a 2016 Rio Olympian.
Conlan who many fight fans will remember was the victim of a judging decision travesty in the 2016 Olympics this past summer, will be well and truly moving on from that with the big news that he is hooking up with one of the largest promoters in the world.
A decorated amateur, Conlan has long been tipped for big things as a professional fighter and when we spoke to him last year at Boxing News and Views, he told us even then before the Olympics – that he wants to be a professional boxing world champion by 2018.
Top Rank certainly have the ability to fast track him if that’s what he wants and it will be interesting to see how Conlan’s career is built both in the States, his native Ireland and most likely the currently booming British boxing market over the coming years.
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His manager in the pro ranks will be another well known face in Irish boxing circles and indeed world boxing, former world title challenger Matthew Macklin, co-founder of boxing management company MGM Management..
It is understood so far that Conlan will campaign in the featherweight division with his debut expected to come sometime in the early new year.
The signing of Conlan was marked yesterday with a picture of Bob Arum and him (credit: Bob Arum Twitter) giving the middle finger to the camera and captioned:
“Amateur hour is over.”
The news has been hailed in Irish boxing circles and represents arguably the biggest move by an Irish fighter turning pro for many, many years.
With the featherweight division currently stacked with talent at the moment, no doubt significant fights will be available to be made for Conlan over the coming years.
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