Long before he knocked out Jack Bateson in round four to remind us of his quality as a fighter, Michael Conlan reminded us of his enduring popularity when serenaded to the ring by thousands of fans in Dublin, Ireland. It was, in an era where the ticket-seller appears to be dead, a timely reminder, too, if only because it gives us all hope that fighters like Conlan can still draw crowds and generate an atmosphere.
Tonight, in Dublin, where he had never before boxed as a pro, Conlan was every inch the headline act. In fact, it is a testament to both the Irish fans and Conlan’s magnetism that the fight itself – a 10-rounder with an international featherweight belt attached – felt considerably bigger and more important than it was in reality.
Much of this had to do with the atmosphere generated by the Irish fans, of course. But there was also an air of jeopardy to proceedings – more so than usual – on account of the fact that Conlan, 33, drinks in the last chance saloon every time he sneaks out and looks for a scrap these days.
The last time we saw Conlan he was in Brighton, far away from his Irish fans, and that night he laboured to an eight-round points win over Asad Asif Khan. It was his first fight since losing two on the bounce – the first against Luis Alberto Lopez, the second against Jordan Gill – yet some were still alarmed by the flatness Conlan showed against Khan, not to mention the ease with which Khan landed the odd counterpunch through eight rounds. Even Conlan himself, as honest a fighter as you’ll find, cut a dejected and somewhat forlorn figure at the end of it all. He knew more than anyone that he had a long way to go and that he needed greater challenges in order to discover whether he still had it – the motivation, chiefly.
Tonight, against Bateson, 20-2-1 (6), he moved another step in that direction. For one, he had a better opponent than last time, someone whose only defeat as a pro was a 12th-round stoppage loss against Shabaz Masoud in 2022. Secondly, Conlan was fighting closer to home, where, despite mixed results, you can always guarantee a Conlan fight feels like a big event and something significant. If, in other words, he should ever struggle to find the motivation to perform in Dublin, or anywhere in Ireland, Conlan will know once and for all that his time is up.
As it happened, from the ring walk to the introductions, Conlan was greeted like the prodigal son tonight in Dublin and didn’t have to look far or too hard for inspiration. If anything, he was in his element: back to the wall, wall of sound, high stakes. The only concern was that perhaps he would be too reticent, for fear of again coming unstuck, or, conversely, too eager to please and dance to the tune belted out by his Irish fans.
Luckily, as far as getting the balance right, he had the ideal opponent in Bateson. Gifted though he is, Bateson, from Leeds, boasts just six stoppages in his 20 wins and is therefore regarded more as a boxer than a puncher. This, although not without its dangers, offers opponents like Conlan a bit more margin for error and reduces the likelihood of a mistake – just one – being punished by something big coming back the other way.
Still, that’s not to say Conlan was reckless tonight. Rather, he was measured, in both a southpaw and orthodox stance, and he was patient, firing only when he sensed there was an opening. This approach could be mistaken for hesitation, true, but chances are Conlan respected Bateson’s judgement of distance and also his footwork, which, at times, was quite impressive.
Bateson’s feet alone allowed him to move laterally with a certain smoothness and to glide in and out of range when he felt the time was right. He did this to good effect at the end of round two when at last he edged forward in the dying seconds and surprised Conlan with a double jab followed by a right hand.
Until then there had, on the part of both, been an awful lot of looking and waiting. Conlan had taken the centre of the ring and fought out of a crouch, whereas Bateson, standing taller, seemed reluctant to give too much away and let Conlan feed off of it.
For two rounds this approach worked for Bateson. However, in the third, he made the critical mistake of trading with Conlan and that, as it turned out, was all Conlan had been waiting for. Suddenly now, despite landing a solid right cross of his own, Bateson found himself nailed by a short right hook inside, which caused him to touch down for the first time in the fight.
It was, in truth, more a balance issue than a case of Bateson being hurt, yet for Conlan it marked a key breakthrough. After all, Conlan now knew that he had the power and, more importantly, the timing to make an impression on Bateson whenever the Leeds man decided to get brave and open up.
Now all Conlan had to do was remain patient and wait for a second opportunity to present itself. Still in his crouch, he was now coiled, ready to pounce, and it was in round four that he again spotted an opening and threw the same shot – the right hand – only this time straight and not short or hooked. This time, too, it was considerably cleaner and more powerful. This time the sight of Bateson hitting the canvas had nothing to do with balance. In fact, he was hurt. He was hurt by the shot itself, which caught him flush, and he was also hurt by the way he landed, injuring his ankle in the process.
The combination of those two things – the knockdown punch and the injured ankle – was enough to have Bateson leaning over the top rope looking for a way out once he was back on his feet. It was also enough to have the referee, Robert Logist, end the contest at the two minutes and 50 seconds mark in round four.
“It was everything we worked on in training camp,” Conlan, now 20-3 (10 KOs), said of the finishing shot. “I’ve got to thank Grant Smith [his new trainer]. He brought me into the gym and made me part of the family. He’s a master technician as a coach.
“I am back now. I want the big names next. I felt good. I felt strong. I felt fit. I feel like I’m huge when I’m in the ring now.”
If the performance itself was a reminder of Conlan’s quality, and the ring walk a reminder of his popularity, perhaps it could be said that his reaction to the win was a reminder of all that was at stake. Because Conlan tonight didn’t react the same way he reacted when beating Asad Asif Khan over eight rounds back in March. Instead, once realising it was over, he screamed “I’m back!” and hugged everybody in the ring, some more than once.
It was, at a glance, the reaction of a man who had just won a world title. Or, if not that, it was the reaction of a man who knew tonight’s fight could very well have been his last.
