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Michael Conlon scorches Eighth Avenue in pro debut

By Anthony "Zute" George

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Michael Conlon
Michael Conlon

The Theater at Madison Square was the chosen venue for Michael Conlan, the decorated amateurs professional boxing debut. St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday which exudes Irish pride, was the chosen date, surely a plan that fit like a glove.

An 8-ounce glove.

 

For the grand event, Top Rank Boxing pulled out all of the stops. Over the sound of bagpipes, and accompanied by UFC Superstar Conor McGregor, Conlan extended the traditional walk to the ring by covering virtually all of the real estate The Theater has to offer. The predominately Irish crowd ate it up like some homemade Irish soda bread.

 

As for the fight, opponent Tim Ibaarra, from Denver Colorado was also a perfect fit. He offered little in terms of resistance and firepower. Having said that, even if a boxer is in there with a lower tier opponent, talent can still be recognized. And Michael has a wealth of talent.

 

Understandably nervous, Conlan loaded up on the right hand and was wild with the overhand right. This is no anomaly for boxing upstarts, see George Forman’s pro debut. Conlan was able to settle down enough and worked nicely off the jab.

What impressed me most about Michael was that he was not just a head hunter, which you might expect from a major talent looking to impress in their pro debut, again. While the fight only lasted two rounds, Conlan invested in the body as if he were preparing for the fight to go rounds.

 

This tells me the kid has a high boxing IQ and can keep his cool and stick to a game plan, even when the adrenaline is off the charts. A dynamic that might be lost on a lot of boxing pun.

Michael Conlon
Michael Conlon

Referee Benjy Esteves officially stopped the fight at 59 seconds of round two. While it appeared to be a bit of a quick hook, the raucous crowd did not seem to mind.

 

Neither did Ibarra.

 

After the fight, Conlan showcased his charming persona, his other selling point.

Conlan related to the frenzied sell-out crowd that, “We are here to take over."

 

Shamelessly, the powers that be took the opportunity to shift focus to McGregor, and the circus that is his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be. It should have been left at that. But a hack is a hack, and the press continued to question McGregor about the Mayweather fight after the in the ring interviews.

 

Why?

 

Is that you feared your article would not be read without the circus to report? How else do you justify taking the attention off Michael Conlan? To help sell tickets? McGregor got it, why most of the press did not is troublesome. When the man said, this is, “Conlan’s night” that should have been the end of it.

 

In other action Alex Saucedo stopped Johnny Garcia at 2:42 of round two. Saucedo sizzled under the tutelage of Abel Sanchez and improves to 24-0, 14 KO’s, Garcia falls to 19-4-1, 11 KO’s.

 

Robson Conceciao stopped Aaron Hollis at :36 seconds of round two. Robson improved to 3-0-1, 2 KO’s, while Hollis fell to 4-4, 2 KO’s.

 

Jose “Chocolatito” Gonzalez improved to 7-0-1, 2 KO’s with an impressive unanimous decision victory. Gonzalez dropped Collado in round three, and landed with solid combinations throughout the fight.

 

Alexander Picot secured a unanimous decision over Ben Garcia; scores read 40-35, 38-37 (twice) Picot improves to 2-2-1, while Garcia falls to 1-2, I KO.

 

Teofimo Lopez Jr. dominated Daniel Bastien, stopping him at :39 seconds of round two. After taking some blistering shots, Bastien stood on one knee for the full ten-count. Teofimo improves to 3-0, 3 KO’s, and is showcasing skills of that of a seasoned veteran. It will not be long before Lopez Jr. is headlining fights for Top Rank.

 

In the first bout of the night, Ireland’s own Larry Fryers won a unanimous decision over Gabriel Solorio. Fryers scored a knockdown in round one, and won virtually every second of the fight; sweeping all three scorecards 40-35. Fryers improved to 3-0, 1 KO, while Solorio falls to 2-4-1.

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