Michael Conlan professional debut comes this Friday in New York as the weight of an entire nation rests on his shoulders.
He’s the most talked about Irish fighter since a young Carl Frampton and before that a certain Bernard Dunne from Dublin.
Now Belfast’s Michael Conlan looks to cement his place in Irish fight history, as he begins his quest to becoming champion of the world.
On St. Patrick’s Day too no less.
The biggest day in Ireland’s annual calendar and in an arena as steeped in tradition as any in boxing – Madison Square Garden.
While the beer is flowing come Friday during and after the St.Patrick’s Day parade in New York, Conlan will be making final preparations to let his talented fists fly against Tim Ibarra.
Ibarra, the choice by Top Rank for the Michael Conlan professional debut opponent, hails from Colarado in the States and has a professional record of 4-4-1KO.
The super-bantamweight bout is scheduled for 6 rounds and has been picked up by broadcasters both home and abroad for the Irishman.
25 year old Conlan is a fighter who seems to have a little bit of everything. Speed, power, boxing ability, personality and perhaps most important of all, a relentless pursuit to succeed, learn and improve.
Training under Manny Robles in California, he has been ripping into his training regiment in recent months with a calculated ferocity – while acclimatizing to his new surroundings in the US.
Come Friday night, he’ll have the chance to wipe clean the slate of a frustrating Rio Olympics in 2016 and bring in the start of a new beginning for himself.
Like many of his fellow countrymen before him did in the past, he finds himself on his travels in the United States looking to build a better life for himself and his family.
It’s a boxing career that promises to have buckets of excitement along the way, as Irish both home and abroad watch on to see if in fact he can become their new favorite fighting son.
Managed by fellow former Irish fighter Matthew Macklin and promoted by industry heavyweights Top Rank, he certainly has the backing to succeed.
The rest is up to him now. Friday night could signal the start in a career of a new star in world boxing.
