Conlan shows guts galore to win Fight of The Year
JAMIE Conlan out Meixcaned the Mexican in the Fight of the Year so far in the National Stadium on Saturday night.
The ‘Mexican’ from Belfast showed cahones galore to beat Junior Granados of Yucatán, Mexico to retain his WBO super flyweight Inter continental strap.
Colan got up of the turf twice in the seventh to eventually win out a 96-92, 95-93, 95-93 points win in front of a raucous fight crowd.
The Belfast man warned his foe the Stadium would be cauldron like come fight night and stressed that would play to his favour. That statement proved an understatement as the crowd all but rescued Conlan in the seventh.
A huge roar nearly lifted the roof when he first consulted the canvas from a perfectly timed body shot and it certainly lifted Conlan to his feet.
The Mexican piled on the pressure for the remainder of the stanza and flirted with stopping the Irish little man, but again the Irish fight fraternity got behind their man and helped him hang on and rise to his feet when he fell to the floor.
Conlan regrouped and came out fighting Mexican style in the eight, showing guts, determination and a desire not to lose his first top of the bill bout.
The 28 year old, who before the knock down looked like he was warming toward a stoppage of his own, then showed foot work as good as referee Mickey Vann’s, ring intelligence and superb shot selection to claim the last two stanza and ensure a win a bout as good as anything one of the most famous venues in World boxing has ever seen.
