MICHAEL CONLAN WON every round with every judge in his comfortable opening bout in the Commonwealth Games.
The Olympic bronze-medalist defeated Nauru boxer Mathew Martin this afternoon, but is well aware he faces a steep step up in class when he faces Shiva Thapa in the bantamweight class last 16 on Monday.
“It’s against an Indian who is the world number three and I’m the world number two. It’s a finals kind of fight and one I’m definitely going to have to win and be in the the best form,” Conlan said.
Despite a brief moment of doubt caused by blood running into his eye, Conlan insists he never out of control against Martin and has underlined his goal for this Games, gold.
“I thought it was a eye cut – I just felt a trickle and couldn’t see and I thought he’d hurt me, but it was his head. After that there I felt alright and I was in control,” he told the BBC.
“Delhi was a let-down for me. I cried in the airport on the way home, I’ll admit that now. But now I’m back here in Glasgow 2014, I’m going to take a gold.”
