I’m sure you will be shocked when you learn that Michael Conlan almost pulled out of the must-win WSB fight where qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio was up for grabs. He, along with his Belfast team-mate Paddy Barnes, fought in Venezuela this Saturday with both requiring victories in order to qualify.
Barnes was able to deliver in style while successfully extending his undefeated streak to 7-0. He got a split-decision points victory over Yoel Finol, the native light-flyweight.
The Olympic medalist claimed a 49-45 victory on a couple of judge cards and questionably lost the other two cards 47-48 while dropping his opponent in the 1st round itself. But this split decision was more than enough to allow Barnes to top the 49kg ranking of the WSB. He was able to surpass Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov in order to claim the one and only qualification spot that was available through the competition.
For Conlan, it was a more complex affair. He didn’t only have to win his fight (which he managed to do with a unanimous 49-46 victory over Jose Vicente Azocar) but also needed to rely on another result going his way elsewhere.
The only reason why he moved up to number 2 in the 56 kg bantamweight rankings was because Luis Mora Hector Garcia was able to defeat Azerbaijan’s Magomed Gurbanov in Puerto Rico. It took him all five rounds but he was finally able to do so just like the Scottish footballer Gary Mackay who helped Ireland qualify for the Euro ’88 by scoring against Bulgaria.
The Belfast bantamweight, Conlan, was in shock since he had almost pulled out of the contest due to the qualification limbo but it was his brother, Jamie, among others who convinced him to fight. Michael’s father, John along with his other coach, Billy Walsh played an important role in getting the boxer back into the ring.
Conlan dedicated this win and achievement to his girlfriend and four week old daughter. Meanwhile, Barnes created history by being the only Irish boxer to qualify for 3 Olympic Games. He even got to grips with his fear of traveling by air. The two boxers traveled more than 34,000 miles for their 7 matches.
He now wants to take a break after this exhausting campaign which eventually ended in glory. On a lighter note, after the win, the pair said that they had trouble overcoming upset stomachs in order to be fit to compete. Their upset stomachs didn’t seem to affect them in the ring though.
David Findley
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