After the fight: Danny Garcia, Michael Conlan, and living with a loss

Danny Garcia overcame his last defeat, and featherweight Michael Conlan looks to do the same on Saturday, Aug. 6, against Miguel Marriaga. 

Danny Garcia lost a unanimous decision to unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in 2020 but made a triumphant return to the boxing ring to defeat Jose Benavidez Jr. by majority decision. Michael Conlan looks to follow Garcia’s example, but Conlan’s healing process and situation are slightly different.

Garcia’s loss to Spence wasn’t the first of his career, but he took an extended break from boxing. He described to FanSided before his win over Benavidez that he felt like he needed a break from the sport.

Immediately after his victory, Garcia let his emotions out as he qualified why he needed a break and the pain he went through during his 19 months away from boxing.

“I was going through some mental things,” Garcia in the post-fight interview. “I felt a little dark. I went through some anxiety and depression. I just tried my best to stay strong.”

Hearing and seeing Garcia cry as he related his mental and emotional struggles was a powerfully human moment. He described fears that he couldn’t measure up as a fighter and a father. Garcia credited the love of his family for pulling him through his most desperate times.

Unlike Garcia, Conlan is only five months removed from his last bout, but like Garcia, his previous outing resulted in defeat. Another difference between the two is that Garcia’s loss came by decision, whereas Conlan was brutally knocked out in the final round of a title fight he was winning.

Conlan was rendered unconscious from a Wood right to the head that Conlan didn’t see coming. Conlan’s back was to the ropes, and he dropped out of the ring, crashing to the ground several feet below in a horrifying sight.

Watch Michael Conlan vs. Miguel Marriaga on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+

It was an ugly scene. Maybe that’s one of the reasons Conlan hasn’t revisited it.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Jeremy, I still have not watched the fight fully,” Conlan said to FanSided. “My team has and stuff, but I don’t need to watch it. I kind of know my good parts, my bad parts in it. And I understand, you know, things went well and the things that I did wrong.”

If the result was disappointing for Conlan’s fans, it was a tragedy for him. He was so close to realizing a dream to have it knocked out of his grasp in a ruthless way.

“I had to come to terms with it,” Conlan said. “It was quite tough to deal with in the immediate aftermath, you know. I hate losing. I really hate losing. And you know, that was my first loss as a professional, and you know, it was a hard one to take. My first time ever being knocked out.”

Also, like Garcia, Conlan found solace in his family. He only took four weeks away from boxing, but a lot happened mentally and emotionally for Conlan in the short time.

“So I took myself away for four weeks,” Conlan said. “I went to Portugal and with my family and just kind of went back there, regrouped, had to think about what happened. Spoke obviously with my team on a daily basis going over things and go back and rewinding it and thinking about what the good things and the bad things which happened in the fight and how it could’ve played differently.”

Too much thinking can drive a person into darkness, as it did Garcia. Conlan could have endlessly obsessed over his loss. Conlan was tormented by failure to a degree, but he was able to switch that angst into positive movement forward.

“I was going to bed every night, and I was thinking about the fight, dreaming about the fight, and how I wish I’d have done this differently what would have happened,” Conlan said.

Conlan added, “It’s the best learning experience we shall ever have.”

There’s the positive in all this. Conlan found a way to view his loss as a teachable moment instead of his lowest.

As Conlan continued to talk, he pinpointed his mistakes. He knew that fatigue brought about sloppiness, which caused him to drop his eyes and chin when he needed to be aware at the most crucial moment.

“So all these little things I have came to terms with, and just the only way I can put a thing to it now is that it was meant to happen that way,” Conlan said.

Conlan views his loss to Wood as fate. He lost. He learned, and now, he’s ready to move on.

Conlan jumps back in with hard-punching Miguel Marriaga in his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the SSE Arena. He’s anxious to climb his way back up to the title picture.

“It’ll get me straight back into title contention with big names,” Conlan rationalized.

Conlan hopes he can get another shot at the title, win by win. His resolve is firm, and he’s hoping for a Garcia-like redemption story.