By Elliot Foster
Michael Conlan clinched his first title with a disciplined display.
The 27-year-old was in action at Manchester Arena on Saturday night.
Conlan, a former star amateur who was robbed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, outpointed former two-weight Commonwealth champion Jason Cunningham to grab the vacant WBO Inter-Continental featherweight title.
The fight, exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office, came as part of the supporting cast to Josh Warrington’s bid to retain his IBF featherweight world title against former two-weight king Carl Frampton.
And after securing his first bauble, Conlan will now focus on preparing himself for his third date at Madison Square Garden on St Patrick’s weekend before potentially fighting outdoors in Belfast next summer, with one eye on the rematch with Vladimir Nikitin, the Russian who controversially beat him at the Olympics, for that date.
The Ulsterman, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, a European amateur champion and a world amateur champion, was deducted a point for low blows in round six but was winning the fight relatively convincingly before the final bell after 10 completed rounds.
The three scoring ringside judges turned in tallies of 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93, meaning Conlan moved into double figures as a pro since turning over under Bob Arum and Top Rank.
Cunningham, in defeat, slipped to 24-6 with six early.
Conlan answered some questions after the contest was over
Conlan On his performance against Cunningham
"I made some mistakes in there, but it was a learning experience. It was the first time I went 10 rounds. I felt comfortable in there going the distance, and I got the job done."
"At the end of the day, it's another win in the bank. I'm very happy."
Conlan On almost finishing Cunningham in the 10th round
"I thought I had him going, but I couldn't get him out of there. He did very well to survive. I hit him with some good shots, but he's a smart fighter and he knew how to survive. If I had a couple more rounds, I think I could have had him out of there."
Conlan On his 2018 campaign
"I've progressed. I've gone from prospect to contender. I still have a few questions to answer, but I'm happy with the way things are going."
Conlan On what's next
"I'm going to be back at Madison Square Garden on March 17 for St. Patrick's Day. Then, we want to come back to Belfast in the summer with a fight in between. I'm not sure who is next, but I want to keep stepping up."
