By Keith Idec
Jarrett Owen offered about as much resistance as expected against Michael Conlan.
The Irish featherweight prospect made easy, relatively quick work of Owen by stopping him in the third round of a scheduled six-round bout on the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn undercard Sunday afternoon at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
Conlan improved to 3-0 and recorded his third knockout in what amounted to a complete mismatch against Owen (5-5-3, 2 KOs), who resides in Brisbane.
Conlan, a 2016 Olympian, hurt Owen with a left hand to the body soon after the midway point of the third round. Owen tried to move away from Conlan, but Conlan pounced on him, landed a few more power shots to the head and body, and made Owen’s trainer throw in the towel several seconds later.
Referee Tony Kettlewell stopped the fight at 1:56 of the third round.
“It was my best performance as a professional," Conlan said. “I feel great about that. I was disciplined and focused on executing the game plan. It took me two rounds to find my range and then I was able to settle in and break him down. The body shots were hurting him. I’m so honored to support my country. I want just to make them proud. I’m looking to return to the ring in September. Thank you, Brisbane. You have put on a brilliant event."
ESPN televised Conlan’s knockout victory as part of a four-fight telecast that aired Saturday night in the United States.
The 25-year-old Conlan fought for the third time since the Dublin native made his pro debut on St. Patrick’s Day in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The 31-year-old Owen, who also has competed in mixed martial arts, is 2-4-2 in his past eight fights, including four knockout defeats.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
