Michael Conlan hopes for a featherweight title within a year

Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton headline ESPN+’s Dec. 22 show, but rising prospect Michael Conlan could be in their shoes come this time in 2019.

Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton will be the center of attention on Saturday, Dec. 22 when they clash for Warrington’s IBF featherweight title. They’re two of the division’s best, but further down the card, Michael Conlan (9-0, 6 KOs) might prove to be the future at featherweight.

If you’re not familiar with Conlan’s name, then you should become familiar with it if you want to get in on the ground floor of a potential superstar.  He made his professional debut in 2017, and he’s been flawless so far, but that’s to be assumed.

Conlan was an amateur standout who won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics and a world title in 2015. The expectations surrounding him are high. It’s enough to unnerve anybody.

While asked if he feels pressure to succeed by FanSided, Conlan answered, “I would say a little bit, yeah because I don’t think I’ve reached the standard of my pedigree.

“It’s boxing, and I’m not worrying about what other people think. I think the best thing to do is to worry about yourself and worry about your own journey.”

Despite his winning ways, Conlan’s divisional ranking according to Boxrec.com is surprisingly low. They have Conlan rated as the 70th best featherweight in the world. It’s a number that’s below Conlan’s standard.

When asked if his rating was too low Conlan responded, “I think so. If you look at every opponent that I’ve faced, not one of them has had a losing record. The worst there’s been is an even record.”

He hasn’t fought prime competition, but for a boxer who’s early in his career and building up his résumé, his record is respectable and worthy of a higher ranking. However, Conlan doesn’t put much stock in rankings.

“That doesn’t bother me,” said Conlan. “Records are what they are. It doesn’t necessarily tell you where I’m at as a professional. It doesn’t necessarily tell you how good I am. I don’t read into them much, but obviously, I do think it should be higher.”

On the undercard of Warrington vs. Frampton, Conlan is fighting Jason Cunningham (24-5, 6 KOs). Cunningham is a veteran who has won more than he has lost. He presents a step up in competition for Conlan who enters his first 10-round fight. An exciting performance is sure to propel Conlan’s name up the rankings.

Assuming that he’s victorious against Cunningham, Conlan expects to fight four or five times in 2019, but most importantly he wants a title shot before the end of next year.

“I would hope to be a champion or challenging or talking about challenging around this time next year,” said Conlan. “I want to build myself into that position, groom myself more as a professional fighter.”

Although his attention is glued to Cunningham, there are several boxers that Conlan would like to fight shortly. One of them is headlining the fight card—Josh Warrington.

“I would love to fight Josh Warrington,” said Conlan. “He has a big fanbase. I have a big fanbase. We’re both from Europe. I think it would be a great fight.”

Conlan went on the record predicting that Frampton would defeat Warrington. If that happens, it could open the door to a possible fight between the two sooner rather than later.

Conlan’s poised to have a bright future, but he needs to get past Cunningham first. You can catch a glimpse of an emerging talent on Saturday, Dec. 22 on ESPN+. Their fight coverage is set to begin at 1 PM ET.