MICHAEL CONLAN WILL challenge Spain’s unbeaten EBU champion Cristobal Lorente for the European featherweight title after earning a comfortable points victory over Asad Khan in his comeback bout in Brighton tonight.
Barcelona native Lorente (20-0-1, 8KOs) carried with him the famous blue belt into the ring to pose for a face-off with Conlan following the Irishman’s victory, with the details of their continental title fight due to be finalised in due course.
Conlan’s 78-74 (six rounds to two) victory over Khan saw the Belfast man dusting off the cobwebs after 461 days out of the professional ring.
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In the lead-up, former world-title challenger Conlan described this comeback effort as his last roll of the dice after suffering back-to-back stoppage defeats while navigating personal issues in 2023.
The 33-year-old former amateur world champion and Olympic medallist made a quiet start to his meeting with unheralded Indian Khan before showing glimpses of his old self in the sixth round in particular.
Conlan, in control of the bout throughout, routinely switched stances but found his most consistent success boxing orthodox, from where his left hand to both body and head became a potent weapon in the final three rounds.
But with a European title fight already pencilled in behind the scenes — the winner of which would gain a favourable ranking with the WBC — Conlan (now 19-3, 9KOS) didn’t seek to force the issue and risk injury against the decent Khan (19-6, 5KOs).
“In terms of nerves, I’ll be honest: it was the first time in my life where I wasn’t nervous”, said Conlan, “but that made the whole thing even harder.
“I’ve boxed for 26 years and it’s the longest I’ve ever been out of the ring.
“It’s still not fully there yet but these were steps in the right direction towards getting back to being the best Michael Conlan.
“I’ve gotta say, he had a tough head, man,” Conlan added of Khan. “I hurt my left hand but was able to keep working. He was a good opponent, good test.”
Conlan’s bout with Khan was the chief-support bout to a welterweight main event involving two of his close friends: fellow Belfast man Tyrone McKenna, a former schoolmate of Conlan’s, and Harlem Eubank, the nephew of Chris who is now a gym-mate of Conlan’s in Sheffield.
It was the fresher hometown boxer who emerged victorious. Eubank, nephew of British boxing great Chris Eubank, dropped McKenna in the fifth and seventh rounds before stopping him on his feet in the 10th.
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The 31-year-old Eubank improved his record to 21-0, 9KOs and called out fellow English welterweight Conor Benn, who will first square off with the victor’s first cousin, Chris Eubank Jr, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 26 April.
The 35-year-old McKenna, meanwhile, dropped to 24-6-1, 7KOs.
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Michael Conlan lands European title shot after successful ring return in Brighton
MICHAEL CONLAN WILL challenge Spain’s unbeaten EBU champion Cristobal Lorente for the European featherweight title after earning a comfortable points victory over Asad Khan in his comeback bout in Brighton tonight.
Barcelona native Lorente (20-0-1, 8KOs) carried with him the famous blue belt into the ring to pose for a face-off with Conlan following the Irishman’s victory, with the details of their continental title fight due to be finalised in due course.
Conlan’s 78-74 (six rounds to two) victory over Khan saw the Belfast man dusting off the cobwebs after 461 days out of the professional ring.
In the lead-up, former world-title challenger Conlan described this comeback effort as his last roll of the dice after suffering back-to-back stoppage defeats while navigating personal issues in 2023.
The 33-year-old former amateur world champion and Olympic medallist made a quiet start to his meeting with unheralded Indian Khan before showing glimpses of his old self in the sixth round in particular.
Conlan, in control of the bout throughout, routinely switched stances but found his most consistent success boxing orthodox, from where his left hand to both body and head became a potent weapon in the final three rounds.
But with a European title fight already pencilled in behind the scenes — the winner of which would gain a favourable ranking with the WBC — Conlan (now 19-3, 9KOS) didn’t seek to force the issue and risk injury against the decent Khan (19-6, 5KOs).
“In terms of nerves, I’ll be honest: it was the first time in my life where I wasn’t nervous”, said Conlan, “but that made the whole thing even harder.
“I’ve boxed for 26 years and it’s the longest I’ve ever been out of the ring.
“It’s still not fully there yet but these were steps in the right direction towards getting back to being the best Michael Conlan.
“I’ve gotta say, he had a tough head, man,” Conlan added of Khan. “I hurt my left hand but was able to keep working. He was a good opponent, good test.”
Conlan’s bout with Khan was the chief-support bout to a welterweight main event involving two of his close friends: fellow Belfast man Tyrone McKenna, a former schoolmate of Conlan’s, and Harlem Eubank, the nephew of Chris who is now a gym-mate of Conlan’s in Sheffield.
It was the fresher hometown boxer who emerged victorious. Eubank, nephew of British boxing great Chris Eubank, dropped McKenna in the fifth and seventh rounds before stopping him on his feet in the 10th.
The 31-year-old Eubank improved his record to 21-0, 9KOs and called out fellow English welterweight Conor Benn, who will first square off with the victor’s first cousin, Chris Eubank Jr, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 26 April.
The 35-year-old McKenna, meanwhile, dropped to 24-6-1, 7KOs.
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