NEW YORK – Michael Conlan won’t believe he’ll actually fight Tuesday night until he is in the ring, standing across from Belmar Preciado.
That’s the type of weird week it has been in a rapidly changing sports world, where higher-profile events have been canceled or postponed in stunning succession due to coronavirus concerns. As of Thursday night, what was supposed to be the continuance of an annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration for Conlan’s proud Irish fans was relegated to a 10-round featherweight fight set to take place without fans inside Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.
“I’m surprised that the event is still going ahead,” Conlan told BoxingScene.com following a press conference Thursday at Madison Square Garden. “As a professional, I’ve never boxed in an empty arena, or even a half-empty arena. So, it is gonna be different. But I’ve worked hard, so nothing changes that way. My preparation has been perfect.”
Conlan understands the seriousness of this pandemic, but the Belfast native can’t help but feel for his faithful fans who’ve planned trips to New York to watch him fight Tuesday night.
“The only thing is my fans who have traveled over, thousands who have come, will not be able to watch,” Conlan explained. “And I’m devastated. It’s sad for everybody who’s come over. People, they don’t go on holiday to make sure they come to this fight. You know what I mean? People save up a lot of money and spend a lot of money [instead of on] Christmas presents and stuff. This is all [tied] to this day. So, it’s all very, very unfortunate. I’m baffled that it’s still going ahead. It’s gonna be odd, but I suppose it just has to be done.”
Conlan’s concerns about remaining in Manhattan until at least Wednesday extend well beyond boxing.
“The scariest thing for me is things being quarantined and things being stopped,” Conlan said. “I have two young kids and a missus at home. I don’t wanna be locked up here in the U.S. for 30 days, or even when I get back to Europe I get locked in the airport for a few days. So, that’s probably the main worry. Fighting’s fighting. It’s boxing. I’m a fighter. But what am I in the game for? I have to earn a living by fighting. So, it would be very, very nice to box in front of my fans. But that’s not the case, so I have to go in and do the job without them.”
In the back of his mind, Conlan realizes it’s still possible that the card he’s supposed to headline could be postponed. The same possibility applies to the show featuring WBO featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) and challenger Miguel Marriaga (29-3, 25 KOs), scheduled for Saturday night at The Garden’s Hulu Theater (ESPN; 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT).
“The situation is so fluid and is changing so rapidly, you just have to stay focused on the game,” Conlan said. “My fight’s four days away. It could go ahead, or it may not go ahead. You never know. So, I’ll know when I’m in the ring and I’m standing there, in front of the guy. I’m ready. I’ve put the work in, so it doesn’t matter.”
ESPN+ is scheduled to stream the card headlined by Conlan (13-0, 7 KOs), the number one contender for Stevenson’s title, and Colombia’s Preciado (20-2-1, 13 KOs).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.