Michael Conlan Looking for A Return in Early 2025
Former WBA interim featherweight champion Michael Conlan has not been seen in the ring since losing to Jordan Gill in December 2023. That defeat came in a bout for the vacant WBA international super featherweight title.
In an interview with Boxing Social, Mick Conlan has confirmed Grant Smith will be his new trainer going forward now. Thoughts on the move? pic.twitter.com/FKVLmPl0bM
— Irish-Boxing.com (@Irishboxingcom) August 21, 2024
Conlan has brushed off any retirement talk and plans to make his 22nd professional fight in early 2025. He has been working with new trainer Grant Smith ahead of his return to the sport.
Conlan Still Aspires to Win a World Title
The Irish boxer remains one of the highest ranked boxers in the super featherweight division, so with a big performance in his comeback fight, he could force another world title shot next year.
Conlan will be keeping a close eye on the clash between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez for the WBO title later this year. Navarrete is the 2/5 favourite in the sports betting to defend his title in that fight.
The Paddy Power blog has provided tips and predictions of Conlan’s fights in the past, and will likely do the same ahead of his next bout. The blog will also provide details of the other world super featherweight title fights in early 2025. Lamont Roach Jr, O’Shaquie Foster and Anthony Cacace are the other belt holders in the division, and Conlan will be doing all he can to push for a fight with either of those men.
Gill Loss Was Unexpected
Conlan was stopped in the seventh round of his last fight with Gill in Belfast. He was knocked down in the second round of the contest, and despite showing signs of recovery, the bout ended when the referee waved his arms just after the midway point.
A rematch with Gill is one possibility that Conlan’s promoters will be considering. The English boxer lost in his latest fight against Zelfa Barrett in Manchester. That brought his professional record up to 28-3-1.
Prior to the Gill bout, Conlan suffered his second defeat of his career when he lost an IBF featherweight title clash with Luis Alberto Lopez, as the BBC reported. He was stopped in the fifth round of that fight against the Mexican.
Alberto Lopez made two further defences of his IBF crown to Joet Gonzalez and Reiya Abe, before losing it to Angelo Leo in an all-Mexican clash earlier this year in Albuquerque.
Conlan One of The Most Decorated Irish Boxers in History
The 2015 RTE Sports Person of the Year is one of the most decorated amateur Irish boxers in history. Conlan won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the flyweight division. Just two years later, he landed the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
2015 proved to be a big year for the Irish boxer as he won gold medals at the World Amateur Championship and European Amateur Championships. Those results proved he was the leading amateur boxer in the world at the time in the bantamweight division.
Unfortunately for Conlan, he was unable to win a medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He defeated Aram Avagyan in the opening round but was then defeated in the quarter-finals in a controversial fight with Vladimir Nikitin. Conlan was convinced he had done enough to win that contest but the judges scored it against him.
At the age of just 32, Conlan remains young enough to have more success at the highest level in the ring. He will be hoping his latest partnership with Smith brings out the best of him in 2025.
