Rising boxer Michael ‘Mick’ Conlan is in New York for what he estimates is ‘the fifth or sixth time’ in his young life.
A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland who represented Ireland in the Olympics, Conlan actually launched his professional career in New York last St. Patrick’s Day, scoring a knockout win over Tim Ibarra in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden’s Theater – the 5,500-seat venue abutting the main 20,000-seat arena.
Conlan will be at ‘The Theater’ again on Saturday night to face Luis Fernando Molina as part of the undercard of ESPN’s world super featherweight title bout between Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko and Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux.
And as for next St. Patrick’s Day, Conlan’s promoter Top Rank already has the venue reserved for the two-time Olympian and a yet-to-be named opponent.
‘Top Rank booked it for the next five years, they said,’ Conlan told Dailymail.com from his midtown Manhattan hotel room overlooking MSG. ‘I think maybe 2019, 2020, I’ll have the big [arena at the] Garden sold out.’
Michael Conlan made his professional debut in New York and says his promoter, Top Rank, has Madison Square Garden’s Theater booked for him on St. Patrick’s Day for the next five years
Conlan (center) in front of MMA star Conor McGregor (left) before making his professional debut at Madison Square Garden’s Theater on St. Patrick’s Day 2017
Conlan disagreed with the judge’s decision that cost him a chance to medal at the 2016 games
Legendary promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum didn’t quite confirm that – ‘I’m 86, so I don’t look that far [ahead]’ – but he does foresee a kind of residency in New York for his young pupil.
To Arum, the math is pretty simple.
Conlan had the Irish world in his corner during the 2016 Rio Games, where he lost a controversial decision in the quarterfinals. But since the Emerald Isle has only a fraction of the world’s Irish population, Arum needed to bring Conlan to the Irish diaspora, most of which resides on different continents: North America and Australia.
Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto made a name for himself in New York by fighting and winning on the Saturday before the city’s Puerto Rican Day parade for seven years
‘I think being Irish never hurts because there are so many people in the United States, around the world, who identify as being of Irish heritage’ Arum told Dailymail.com.
According to the 2013 census, 34.5 million Americans claim to have Irish heritage. That’s to say, America has over five times as many Irish citizens as Ireland, a country of around 6.3 million people.
As Arum explained, this isn’t really a new strategy.
On seven occasions he booked Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto to fight in New York ahead of the annual Puerto Rican Day parade. Cotto, who lost his farewell fight in MSG’s main arena last Saturday, won all seven of those bouts in front of throngs of Puerto Rican fans.
‘We had Cotto [fight in New York] because we knew there would be plenty of Puerto Ricans in town,’ Arum said. ‘So obviously we’re doing that with Mick and St. Patrick’s Day because St. Patrick’s Day in New York… is a massive celebration.
‘They paint the green line down Fifth Ave. and people parade all day and then they stagger in to The Garden at night,’ Arum added.
Conlan is currently 4-0 after knockout out his first four opponents as a professional
It took Conlan less than two rounds to breeze by Kenny Guzman in Tuscon on September 22
‘I’ve got a good punch,’ Conlan said. ‘I can hit you from angles… I haven’t shown nothing yet’
The equally affable and pugnacious Conlan (4-0, 4 knockouts) is more than happy to make New York his own.
‘Now that Miguel Cotto is gone,’ Conlan said, laughing, ‘I definitely feel like it’s my home.’
But it’s not as though Arum simply dropped a random Irish fighter in Manhattan hoping to attract anyone who wears green on St. Patrick’s Day.
At the Rio Games, Conlan struck a chord with Irish fans around the world and just about anyone else who seethes over perceived injustices.
Conlan celebrates his 3rd round TKO win over Tim Ibarra in their super bantamweight bout at The Theater at Madison Square Garden
After previously winning bronze at flyweight (112-pound limit) in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Conlan was considered one of the favorites to medal at bantamweight (118-pound limit) in the 2016 games.
Conlan seemed destined for a highly-anticipated semifinal matchup with American prospect Shakur Stevenson, but was shocked in the quarterfinals by Russian Vladimir Nikitin, who advanced because judges awarded him two of the three rounds.
Upon hearing the decision, Nikitin instantly began jumping up and down, even as open wounds on his temple and brow drizzled blood down his neck.
The incredulous Conlan responded by flipping off the Olympic judges, provided by the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA).
And Conlan wasn’t done.
Feeling he was short changed by an entire panel of corrupt judges, Conlan stormed out of the ring where he was met by a reporter and camera person from Irish network RTE.
‘They’re f****** cheats,’ he raged on live television. ‘They’re known for being cheats. Amateur boxing stinks from the core right to the top.’
‘My dreams are shattered,’ he continued. ‘I will never box again for AIBA.’
The moment immediately went viral.
People who had grown accustomed to well-groomed, sponsor-conscious athletes regurgitating their media training latched onto Conlan – many without even knowing what he was talking about. (To Conlan’s point, AIBA removed several anonymous judges from the Olympics after determining ‘that less than a handful of the decisions were not at the level expected.’ However, the organization never confirmed any corruption.)
‘What happened in Rio was just a natural reaction,’ Conlan said. ‘It wasn’t media training. I just showed true passion and true heart. I think that was a breath of fresh air for everyone’
Conlan (right) with legendary promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum (left)
Despite a stream of blood drizzling down his face and neck, Russian Vladimir Nikitin (left) was ruled the winner of his Olympic quarterfinal bout against Conlan in Rio de Janeiro
‘I think all over the world, athletes, Olympic athletes are so scripted in everything they say,’ Conlan explained. ‘Everyone is media trained and they have to do what they’re told. I have done media training and I’ve done my lessons. What happened in Rio was just a natural reaction. It wasn’t media training. I just showed true passion and true heart.
‘I think that was a breath of fresh air for everyone in the world,’ he continued. ‘Not just America. Everywhere else, wherever I went, everybody knows me for giving the finger.’
Being known for giving the finger is peculiar distinction.
A painting of Conlan by artist Geo Thomson
On one hand, aspiring boxers need as much publicity as they can get when they turn professional. On the other, fans who see Conlan in public typically ask for a re-enactment – something that the father of a two-and-a-half year old girl is a little uneasy with.
‘They don’t swear, but they go, ‘Oh can we get a picture? Can we do the finger?’ Conlan said. ‘I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll do the picture.’
To Arum, Conlan’s early exit was a blessing.
Instead of promoting a gold medalist and aspiring professional to Americans – regarded as boxing’s largest and highest-paying audience – he can offer something far more interesting.
Americans aren’t typically interested in amateur boxing, even at the Olympic level. So the fact that he lost to an unheralded Russian means little in the United States, where many of the country’s top boxers fail to even make the Olympic team.
To Arum, the response was everything.
‘I think it was a story,’ said Arum. ‘Anytime there’s a story and the subject in the story is a sympathetic figure because of how he got screwed… I think it enhances his visibility and his marketability.’
Arum was right.
Conlan’s debut sold out easily, thanks to a strong contingent of fans in town for St. Patrick’s Day and the support of mixed martial arts superstar and fellow Irishman Conor McGregor, who was ringside.
‘He’s been a good guy to me’ Conlan said of McGregor. ‘He’s a nice guy. I wouldn’t say I’m his best mate. I don’t speak to him every day or every week, even. I speak to him every now and then.’
Best friends or not, the presence of McGregor helped attract significant media attention and created one of the more memorable professional debuts in boxing history.
‘To launch him from The Theater on St. Patty’s day was one of the most special pro debuts in my 25 years,’ said Top Rank president Todd duBoef of Conlan’s unveiling at super bantamweight (122-pound limit). ‘I’ve never seen a pro debut that had so much energy and enthusiasm. That’s a tribute to our ability to promote something, but also his connection to the fans.’
Conor McGregor (left) and ‘Mick’ celebrate Conlan’s 3rd round TKO win over Tim Ibarra
Conlan sold out MSG’s Theater for his debut and Saturday’s fight sold out two months ago
Impressively, Saturday’s fight sold out two months ago, although the presence of Lomachenko – considered by many to be the world’s best boxer – certainly had something to do with that.
Conlan also struck a chord with Australian fans on the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn undercard in Brisbane on July 2 when he enjoyed a technical knockout win over Jarrett Owen.
Not only was the outdoor Suncorp Stadium over capacity with more than 55,000 spectators, but 4.4 million viewers watched on ESPN. And as much as a legend like Pacquiao deserves credit for pulling in such a large television audience, the Nielsen ratings jumped from a 1.3 to a 1.7 during Conlan’s easy victory, according to duBoef.
It’s helpful that Conlan has been utterly dominant in his first four pro fights, earning stoppages in each bout and annihilating Kenny Guzman at featherweight (126-pound limit) in just two rounds on September 22.
Conlan enjoys a new car in Belfast
‘I’ve got a good punch,’ Conlan said. ‘I can hit you from angles… I haven’t shown nothing yet. Just getting adjusted to the pro ranks.’
When he does get ‘adjusted’ to being a pro, Conlan’s level of competition will get significantly harder.
His goal is to be a champion in three different weight divisions – an echelon of the sport reserved for the likes of Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard.
To get there, Conlan will need to beat a champion such as Lomachenko, who reigns at super featherweight (130-pound limit), or even Stevenson, a silver medalist at the 2016 games.
Like Conlan, the 20-year-old Stevenson signed with Top Rank after the Olympics and is a rising star in the featherweight division.
‘Very nice guy,’ Conlan said of Stevenson. ‘Talks a little s*** behind doors, but he’s never said anything to my face… We’re definitely going to fight.’
A professional clash between the two would serve as a reward for hard-core boxing fans who were denied that matchup at the 2016 Olympic semifinals in Rio de Janeiro.
And now that they’re both pros, if and when a highly-anticipated Conlan-Stevenson bout does come to fruition, it will likely take place on boxing’s biggest stage, Las Vegas, a few years down the road.
Newark’s Shakur Stevenson (left) and Conlan (right) both signed with Top Rank after the Olympics and could eventually meet in a massive pay-per-view bout in Las Vegas
Considered by some to be the world’s best boxer, Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko will face off against Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux on Saturday. Eventually Conlan could fight Lomachenko
‘When it happens, it’s going to be a huge event,’ said Arum, who promotes both fighters. ‘It’s going to be massive Pay-Per-View numbers. As a big of a gate you can do in New York… you cannot replicate the [ticket sales] you can do at a big fight in Las Vegas because of all the gamblers that come in.’
Be that as it may, if it were up to Conlan, his biggest fights wouldn’t be in Las Vegas at all.
‘I could fight the rest of my career anywhere in Ireland, Boston and New York,’ he said.
Conlan hopes to appeal to people from Ireland and Northern Ireland: ‘I think we’re in the future now. We’re moving forward. It’s a different era. Someone from the Isle of Ireland has the support of everybody’
Oddly enough, Conlan has yet to fight professionally in Ireland or Northern Ireland, although he plans to do so in Belfast this spring.
Eventually he’ll fight in Dublin too, he says, because despite the violent history between the two countries, Northern Ireland’s best boxers can actually be fully embraced in the Republic of Ireland these days.
‘I’ve seen Carl Frampton’s done that already,’ Conlan said, referring to the former two-weight world champion who also happens to be from Belfast. ‘I think we’re in the future now. We’re moving forward. It’s a different era. Someone from the Isle of Ireland has the support of everybody. [Frampton] has a crazy fan base. I have a crazy fan base. It’s great for fighters.’
As for Boston, Conlan hasn’t even visited the city, much less fought there.
Still, Conlan is pretty confident he can sell tickets in the notoriously Irish town.
‘I’ve never been there,’ Conlan said. ‘But if I go to Boston, it’s game over.’
The challenge for Conlan, according to Arum, won’t be connecting with fans. As he sees it, Conlan has the appeal of a Leonard or a Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini, the retired lightweight champion who became a hero to Italian-American fans in the 1980s.
The bigger problem is something that all boxers face, no matter how talented or adored they are.
‘They become so uptight,’ said Arum, who has promoted the likes of Cotto, Pacquiao, Lomachenko and even Muhammad Ali. ‘They worry about this; they worry about that. They worry about the opponent; they worry that somehow that they’re not being paid enough. Everything is worry. Everything is a battle.
Conlan has yet to visit Boston, but still plans on fighting in the notoriously Irish city
Conlan has yet to fight on the Emerald Isle as a pro, but he plans to do so in Belfast this spring
‘When it’s over, they haven’t had a very good time,’ Arum continued. ‘I have found that my most successful fighters are the ones that really embrace the moment and have a wonderful time enjoying what they’re doing and how incredible this journey is. And that’s what I tell the kid… ‘You’ll look back years from now at what can be a happy, enjoyable time or a very bitter disappointing time. Enjoy yourself. Relax.’
It might seem premature to start thinking about the end of his career, but Conlan has been around the sport long enough to know its dangers.
Conlan celebrating a 2017 victory with his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Luisne
Boxers are notorious for struggling with retirement. If it’s not crippling debt, as in Mike Tyson’s case, it’s a constant struggle against a lifetime of physical abuse.
Avoiding those pitfalls means getting in, winning, and getting out at the right time, which is something Conlan thinks McGregor is doing right now.
‘He’s got $140 million in the bank,’ Conlan said, referring to the enormous purse McGregor received in August after being knocked out by Mayweather in his first and only professional boxing match. ‘I don’t even know if he’ll compete again.
‘What would you do with $140 million?’ Conlan laughed. ‘What would you do with $10 million? Would you work?’
It’s a decision Conlan wouldn’t mind facing himself someday.
‘Hopefully by that time I have an awful lot of money in the bank I can just retire and live happily with my family,’ Conlan said.
And if he keeps fighting and winning in New York – a city that shares Conlan’s affinity for obscene hand gestures and profanity – he might just get there.
Conlan: ‘I could fight the rest of my career anywhere in Ireland, Boston and New York’