Photograph: www.irishmichaelconlan.com
Fresh from his latest Elite title victory Michael Conlan is relishing life in a new weight class. The St. John Bosco stylist is now targeting an assault on the medals at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“This is a big year for me and hopefully I can go on and win gold at the Commonwealth Games,” buzzed Conlan, shortly after beating Tyrone McCullagh in the National Stadium.
“I feel far fitter and far stronger at 56kg. I was struggling to make 52 kg, but at this new weight I feel great. I think at this weight I am able to throw more punches and I am as strong as any of them in the division.”
While McCullagh never truly threatened to win the final, he did use his awkward southpaw stance to try and frustrate Conlan. Michael knew all about the Holy Family boxer and his ability to make life uncomfortable. Conlan’s unanimous win was confirmed by the judges’ score totals that came in at: 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.
“Tyrone is an awkward boy and I had to stick to my game plan. The aim was to stay calm and not get frustrated in there with him. He is very difficult to fight. I knew is was going to be close. He is a very good boxer so I am delighted with the win. We have sparred loads of times and we knew loads about each other.”
Now that the Elite Championships trophy is safely positioned on his mantlepiece Michael is turning his focus to the next big prize.
“This is my fourth title and I am the first person to go from flyweight to bantamweight. I’m now looking forward to the Games in Glasgow,” he concluded.