Michael Conlan: Victory, future championships, and mortality in boxing

Featherweight Michael Conlan took care of business against Diego Ruiz in August, but he’s quickly nearing his first title shot.

On Aug. 3, Michael Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs) won his 12th professional boxing bout against Diego Alberto Ruiz (21-3, 10 KOs). It was an impressive knockout victory for the 27-year-old from Belfast, Northern Ireland, but he’s nearing his dream of a title shot and knows that his time in boxing is finite.

It’s no surprise that Conlan is taking the featherweight division by storm. He won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and had an amateur record of 248-14. He demonstrated a multitude of skills against Ruiz.

Conlan is an orthodox boxer, but switches to southpaw within his bouts. In round 9 against Ruiz, he utilized his body punches in the southpaw stance to stop Ruiz. Conlan proved that he’s more than just a boxer. He knows how to break an opponent down over time.

“I’m a good southpaw,” Conlan said. “Sometimes I’m a better southpaw than I am orthodox. I like to switch it up. I like to work the southpaw stance and get my shots in there.

“When I punch to the body most of the time, I feel I punch harder as a southpaw to the body than orthodox.”

Conlan wasn’t supposed to fight Ruiz initially. Vladimir Nikitin (3-0) was his original foe. They also have a history together. Nikitin defeated Conlan at the 2016 Olympics in a highly controversial decision. This was supposed to be a redemption bout for Conlan, but Nikitin pulled out of the contest after suffering an injury. At first, Conlan wasn’t pleased.

“I’ll be honest, for the first 10 minutes I was pissed off. I was angry,” admitted Conlan. “I was like f**k. He must have just lost his balls. And then I just said, screw it. Let’s get the next guy. Get the next best guy. Get me someone better, and they did. If you watch Ruiz and what he does, he’s much better than Nikitin. He’s not as reckless. What we had seen of Ruiz, he wasn’t as reckless. He was a lot smarter.

“Vladimir Nikitin, I believe if he had come out on Saturday night, he wouldn’t have seen past the third round.”

With Ruiz in the rearview mirror, Conlan is looking to fight two more times before the end of 2019. He wants to stay busy and work himself into title contention in the immediate future. He’s targeting St. Patrick’s Day of 2020 at Madison Square Garden for his first shot at a world title.

“Maybe two more [fights] this year,” said Conlan. “I think we’re looking at sometime in October. Then again, early December. That’s kind of the aim at the minute. We get that in, and we have a big night St. Patrick’s night hopefully for the world title at MSG, and that will be a dream come true for me.”

Currently, there are three featherweight champions, and the WBO title is vacant. Conlan could fight for the vacant title or IBF champion Josh Warrington could be a desirable opponent. Conlan has mentioned in the past that he would welcome a bout with Warrington.

If Conlan’s plans of fighting two more times in 2019 seem ambitious, it’s in part because time is a factor. He’s 27 years old but knows that the shelf life of a boxer is limited. He doesn’t see himself fighting deep into his 30s.

“I realize that I’m at that age,” Conlan reflected. “I’m 27, and I realize that this isn’t forever. Probably I have another 4-5 years max, and then I’m out. I will make the most of it.”

In July, Maxim Dadashev and Hugo Santillan died shortly after their bouts on July 19 and 20. Their deaths shocked the boxing world and made people ponder the ethics and morality of boxing. Conlan sported Dadashev’s logo on his fight shorts for the Ruiz fight to honor his memory.

Conlan is cognizant of the dangers of boxing. He has boxed since he was seven and wants to exit the sport gracefully with all of his faculties intact. Dadashev and Stantillan’s passing resonated with Conlan.

“I’m very well aware,” said Conlan. “I’m an aware person. I’m aware of what’s going on in life and what’s going on in the world politically, financially. I know what’s going on. When I see things like this, it brings me back to earth and gives me more of a realization of how dangerous this sport is.”

Conlan further reflected on the nature of boxing.

“Boxing is a guy selling his brain cells for other people’s entertainment. People think that fighters are boring. So be it. If those fighters are boring, they’re going to have more longevity and life in the sport. Why blame them? Criticize them all you want but let them be. Let them do what they have to do. This isn’t someone’s entertainment. It’s someone’s life.”

Conlan’s perspective on boxing is realistic and candid, but he’s not dissuaded from pursuing his dream. He has a plan for his future and Conaln is more determined than ever to see it through. If all goes well, don’t be surprised if the phrase “and the new featherweight champion of the world” is used to describe Conlan on St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2020.