I’ll be world champion in a year, predicts Michael Conlan

Michael Conlan has never been one for Irish understatement.

“I’ll be world champion within 12 months,” declares the undefeated pro. “100% I believe that. People will doubt you, talk on social media and criticise you for having opinions. I believe in the work that I’ve been doing, the improvements I’ve made every single day. I know if I was faced with any of the champions tomorrow, I would win.”

Bob Arum preaches that self-same view, Conlan’s sparkling pedigree having first attracted the advances of the Hall of Fame promoter. “We have people scouting every Olympic class, seeking out those that are not only good fighters, but fighters who can become superstars,” says the Top Rank boss. “We are very selective on who we choose, and Mick is head of the class.”

In a sport where actions rarely speak louder than words, Arum has refreshingly favoured a little less conversation. Conlan’s professional bow was evidence enough, a St Patrick’s Day debut under the lights at Madison Square Garden having set the bar in that regard, his residence in the feted arena now an annual one. Last summer’s maiden return to Belfast brought its own pomp and ceremony, Conlan’s victory over Adeilson Dos Santos almost secondary to the din draped around it. Tonight’s fare should soar higher still, a sold-out Falls Park playing host to the headiest of homecomings.

“These are the nights I’m in boxing form,” beams the 27-year-old. “Forget everything else, forget the world titles, forget the money. You can always make money again, win belts, but the atmospheres are so special. “The best part? It’s in my back garden! It’s in West Belfast, the park where I grew up. There’s never been a fight of this magnitude in that part of the city, my part of the city. It’s been the complete camp. What I’ve worked on in the gym — what me and Adam [Booth, coach] are polishing up — will work against anybody.”

Given the recent uncertainty around his opponent, that might be just as well. One Vladimir Nikitin had initially been cast to co-star with Conlan this evening. Theirs was a sequel three years in the making. The script wrote itself. And yet, the Conlan-Nikitin axis has never proven seamless, aftershocks from their ignominious Olympic clash still strewn through the amateur boxing scene.

That entwinement endured into the pros, Nikitin’s own affiliations with Arum a sure sign renewals of hostilities were in the offing. Tonight was slated as the date, but an in-camp injury to the Russian duly ruled him out. “

“You know what? I wasn’t disappointed at all,” insisted Conlan of the shelved rematch. “Once it happened, I was like, ‘sure look, what can you do?’ The first thing I said was ‘get me a better guy, a higher-ranked guy’. If I’m honest, if I sit back now and look at it, I know that — in terms of levels — I’m a few ahead of Nikitin at the minute. In the end, I never saw any medical proof that he actually really did injure his arm, so I don’t know if he really wanted the fight in the first place. The whole thing is parked now, as far as I’m concerned. Maybe if the opportunity arises when I’m world champion and he’s built his way up, we could reconsider. But I wouldn’t be holding my breath.”

Not that Diego Alberto Ruiz has time to hold his, the 25-year-old understudy having been thrust centre stage. And while the bout represents his first off home soil, the Argentine travels to town on a 10-fight win streak.

“Ruiz is my toughest test as a professional,” asserts Conlan. “I have to be tuned in. He is aggressive, comes forward, maybe not as reckless as Nikitin, but definitely a high-paced kind of fighter. I’ve watched about 40 seconds of him. That’s enough, because I just let Adam and Jamie [Conlan, brother] tell me what to expect.

“If I start feeding into him, I can overthink how I’m going to navigate around what he’s doing instead of focusing on myself. That’s not overlooking anybody, that’s just faith in my own ability. If I’m honest, I feel invincible.”

Alas, even through his air of invincibility remains an appreciation of boxing’s inherent vulnerability. Last week’s in-ring losses left an indelible mark in that respect, the deaths of Maxim Dadashev and Hugo Santillan dealing the darkest of reminders. They were reality checks not lost on Conlan.

“It was a bad week for the sport.

“I would always have thought about these kinds of things anyway. I have a partner at home and young kids. You’ve got to think ‘what am I doing getting in the ring? Is it really worth the risks?’

“Then you’ve got the doping stuff, and it’s very, very sad. It pisses me off. A lot of fighters are doping. I do believe that. But when these things do come out it scares you even more, because it puts you in danger even more.

“I’m not the type of guy who says, ‘I’m willing to die in the ring’, I’m not. That’s not something I want to do.

“Boxing is my job. I’m very good at it, and I can earn a good living from it. But I’m not hanging around too long like the other guys. My time is now.”