‘Mystic Mick’ meets his own gold standard
MICHAEL CONLAN created history by becoming the first Irishman to claim a World Championship at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena, christening himself ‘Mystic Mick’ after successfully delivering on his prediction of gold.
Katie Taylor has, of course, won five world crowns in the female discipline, but it took 41 years and 18 editions of this tournament for Ireland to produce a male gold medallist.
The 23-year-old Belfast bantamweight was appropriately ecstatic after his win, although he expressed a hint of embarrassment after suffering a final-round knockdown at the hands of Uzbek opponent Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
‘It felt like he could punch from the start, but I didn’t think he had anything to put me down with,’ said Conlan.
‘It was the first time I’ve ever been down in my life — I’m more embarrassed than anything, but he caught me r i ght on t he button.’
Conlan rose to his feet and held on to claim a 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 win, even curiously winning the final stanza despite the knockdown having had the better of the round up to that point.
The Irish team captain adds World gold to his medal collection, which also includes European and Commonwealth titles, along with an Olympic bronze which he hopes to improve on in Rio next year.
‘You can call me “the Conor McGregor of boxing” – I predict everything I do and I’m coming through successful!
‘It’s been my goal to be world champion, I didn’t want to leave the amateurs without being world champion. I was going to leave but to be a world champion heading into an Olympic Games is some achievement.
‘Call me Mystic Mick! I’m coming through with everything I’m saying, I’m not just making false promises. I promised I was going to be world champion, I promised I was going to qualify for the Olympics through the WSB, I promised I’d be European and Commonwealth champion and I’ve done everything I said.’ Curiously, even the f i nal round was scored to Conlan by two of the judges, despite the knockdown, although it was a deserved win as the Belfast native managed to brawl his way to victory having been forced to abandon his usual slick style due to the relentless aggression of Akhmadaliev.
‘I knew it was going to be a tough f i ght because he boxes with aggression and he comes forward all the time,’ said Conlan.
‘I actually thought I made it a bit easier by going for it, I felt in control, but the shot he hit me with was a peach. If I wasn’t as fit as I am I wouldn’t have been able to get up.’
Meanwhile, Joe Ward bids to become the second Irishman to claim senior World gold when he takes on Cuba’s two-time world champion Julio La Cruz tonight i n the l i ght- heavyweight gold medal decider.
The Moate man is on the plane to Rio thanks to his top-two finish here, but head coach Billy Walsh said: ‘He wants to beat this Cuban, he’s not going in there to make up the numbers, Joe wants to beat him.
‘I think the fact is he knows the stakes are higher. That semi-final was massive pressure, massive pressure. It nearly killed him four years ago, sitting at home at 17 or 18 years of age [not being at London 2012],’ said the head coach.
‘I think he’s probably the only boxer who’s won world titles at junior level and youth level and now he’s in the world senior final – I don’t think anyone’s ever done that,’ added Walsh.
‘I didn’t want to leave the amateurs not being world champion’