Win will put me at European level- Conor Quinn
IF Conor Quinn can defeat Juan Hinostroza it will put him among the top European flyweights, he believes.
Belfast’s latest wee man takes on the two-time European title challenger and EU Champion on the massive Lopez-Conlan card in the SSE Arena on Saturday.
It’s a bit of an under-the-radar step up but a fight that gives ‘The Magnificent’ the chance to make a continental statement.
“Obviously flyweight’s a small pool, I think he’s ranked four in the EBU so if I beat this guy surely I’m up at that level,” he told irish-boxing.com.
However, he’s not necessarily in a rush. “Obviously Mark Dunlop manages my career. Sometimes you can go in and get the win and think I still have a couple of fights to go, or you might go in and blow a guy away and think I’m ready.”
Hinostroza is far from an easy proposition, he feels, with a number of solid victories to his name. “He’s a former European champion, knocked a couple of fighters out to get there, a couple of undefeated guys with good records. He went in and did the business. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always 100% confident going into the ring but you know you can’t slip up. These guys are a lot more experienced than me in the pro ranks, maybe not so in boxing altogether because I had a good amateur background. He’s a kind of guy who’s going to be lively, he’s going to be dangerous and I’m going to have to be on my game.”
Quinn was watching when another Belfast fighter defeated the Spaniard six years ago, and he felt Hinostroza acquited himself well on that night, despite losing.” When Paddy Barnes fought him, I remember saying to myself that he was a tough cookie, and he’s the kind of fight I’d always want. You’re still going in at home, the crowd behind you, you’re well prepared, I’m still going in as the A side of the fight, but he’s the kind of guy who isn’t going to roll over and that’s the kind of fight I want. I feel like haven’t hit anyone in a professional boxing ring yet, because anyone I got to hit has just fell down!”
He says the Spaniard can be very unpredictable. “He looks like he’s covering up at times, then he’ll let a big shot go. He looks like he’s going to let a shot go and then doesn’t. He has that real raw sort of style. You’re going to yourself ‘does he even know what he’s going to do next’. I think he’ll be a good test, he’ll definitely come firing and it’ll make for a good fight.”
Quinn says that forcing a stoppage would be fantastic. “He’s never been stopped before. I’d like to be the first man to do that. “
