Classy Conlan looks like the real deal

Michael Conlan has been singled out as a possible Olympic medallist since he qualified at the world championships last year and he got his Olympic campaign off to a flyer with a very impressive and well executed 19-8 victory over Duke Mikah (Ghana) in a lively last 16 flyweight bout at the ExCel last night.

Unfortunately his team-mate, Adam Nolan, bowed out of the tournament on the wrong side of an 18-9 decision.

Nolan now faces a familiar opponent, Frenchman Nordine Oubaali, for a bronze medal on Tuesday night (9pm). The 20 year old Belfast man beat Oubaali at the world championships in Baku last year to qualify for the Olympics and beat him again in a four nations tournament Berck-sur-Mer in May. Last night Oubaali beat three-time Olympian Rahsee Warren (USA), 19-8. Warren was the first of three Americans to lose last night which means they will have no boxer in the quarter-finals.

Conlan admitted he was never so nervous in his life going into last night but he found his rhythm early, catching Mikah with a big right hand to the head midway through the first round to set the pattern. The Belfast man went on to catch him continuously with the backhand finishing the round off with two big left hands going into the last 10 seconds to win the round 5-2.

He won the second round 7-3 for a 12-5 cushion going into the third and, with Micah now chasing the fight, he continued to pick him off with the right, winning the round 7-3 and the contest 19-8.

High performance coach, Billy Walsh, was beaming after last night’s contest. “Somebody said to me at home you should smile a bit more on TV — you look very serious in the corner,” he said. “Well I am serious we haven’t won anything yet. We have a long way to go. It was a reasonable performance. He’s a lot better that we saw there today.

“I think a bit of nerves, first time in the ring, they were champing at the bit all week and Paddy is the same. All the boys coming back to their room and all after winning and they still haven’t been in there yet — some of them after winning two fights and Paddy hasn’t been in the ring yet.

“Once he knew he was ahead, he began to relax a bit and settle down and began to show what he is capable of. We always knew he had the beatings of that guy he just picked the wrong options on a few occasions but, eventually we got him settled down and he was a clear winner.

“Once we got that lead it was going to be hard to pull it back. The hardest fight in any championship is the first fight. Guys are living on their nerves. Once they get in the first fight you can see them progress and you saw the improvement with Nevin and you’ll see the improvement with these guys.

“For a 20 year old, first time out at an Olympic Games, he showed a bit of maturity and began to listen a little bit. He didn’t listen in the first round. He got caught up in the hype. He’ll learn from that.”

Conlan himself said he was glad to have his first fight out of the way after waiting all week while other member of the team fought.

I’m just glad to get it out of the way,” he said.

“I’ve been waiting so long for it — since last October I’ve been waiting for it. It’s brilliant to get it out of the way and get the win.

“I had a game plan to box the guy and it worked but I got a bit drawn off and I didn’t let my shots go when I should have. I’m happy enough.

“Oubaali is unreal. He is a different animal in the Olympic Games. It’s going to be a hard fight but I’m in top shape and I know I have the ability to beat him and, hopefully, I can.

“I was really nervous tonight — I was surprisingly nervous. I hadn’t felt as much nerves since I fought Ruairi Dalton three times and that’s a local fight — it was just because he lived close to me. I got very nervous and did not perform to my best.

“It was unreal to walk out before 10,000 people. It got me geed up a bit.”

Adam Nolan was always going to be up against it when he faced the world No. 2 and world silver medallist but he kept Russian star Andrey Zamkovoy at the end of his long right hand jab for much of the first round, stealing a few punches along the way, and trailed by one — 3-2 — at the end of the round.

Nolan got the crowd going with some big shots early in the second round but the Russian was still in control and won the round 6-2, and caught Nolan as he came forward in the third. Nolan took a count from a combination at the end of the third round which Zamkovoy won 9-3 for an 18-9 victory.

“I had a good first round, I gave him a lot to think about,” Nolan said. “My feint was working well and I was unlucky to be one down. At the start of the second round I caught him with a few lovely combinations. I went chasing the fight after that. He was a good mover and the more I chased him, the more he hit me. Being three down going into the third round I had to chase the fight. I have no complaints. I left it all in there.”