March 17, 2017 in New York is going to be off the charts.
Beg, borrow, borrow again [stealing is not on] because Michael Conlan’s professional boxing debut in NYC is where you want to be on St Patrick’s Day.
The former Irish Olympian and amateur boxer is preparing for his professional bow and will do so at Madison Square Garden in four months’ time.
Having signed for Top Rank promotions, run by legendary promoter Bob Arum, in October, Conlan has been hard at in in the gym and in the ring. Earlier this month, a work-out video of the Belfast boxer showed him in peak condition for his super-bantamweight bout.
Final day out here in LA training with my new coach Manny Robles, very successful trip, can’t wait wait to come bk in January! @mattmacklin pic.twitter.com/SYPoGVJQS8
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) November 22, 2016
An opponent has yet to be announced but Conlan looks to have got himself a pretty decent flag-bearer.
On Friday night, Conlan revealed UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor would accompany him to the ring and bear the Irish tricolour all the while.
Mr @TheNotoriousMMA carring out the Tri Colour for my debut fight on St Paddys Day NY MSG!!! @trboxing @mattmacklin pic.twitter.com/tvHwmr17b7
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) December 2, 2016
Conlan and McGregor have a mutual respect for each other and the respective paths they have forged in the fight game.
Before he fought at Rio 2016, and lost in a controversial manner, Conlan spoke with Second Captains about what he had learned from ‘The Notorious’ and his rapid rise in the fight game. He said:
“I’ve just seen the way he conducts himself and how much belief he has in himself. He might not be the best operator in the world but he’s going and doing the job because he has that belief in himself.
“These guys are in the game a lot longer than he’s in the game and he’s just come in and taken over all of them because he has that belief and that voice.
“He’s gone in there and talked himself into where he wants to be and he is selling out places so it’s fantastic what he’s doing. It’s great for sport and great for Irish sport.”
St Patrick’s Day 2017 is certainly shaping up to be another great occasion for Irish sport.
Catch up with this week’s episode of Football Friday Live
