Fighting on St. Patrick’s Day in MSG was “unbelievable,” says Irish boxer Michael Conlan

Before his sixth consecutive win, maintaining his perfect professional boxing record, Irish boxer Michael Conlan sat down with IrishCentral to discuss the Olympics, the Irish fans and fighting in Madison Square Garden.

Belfast boxer Michael Conlan believes that the devastating defeat he suffered at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro motivated him to never feel the same sense of loss again, he revealed in a chat with IrishCentral.

Speaking in a pre-fight interview before he took to the ring on Saint Patrick’s Day 2018, Conlan, 26, revealed the horror of having his Olympic dream so tragically cut short, emphasizing how it was a feeling “I never want to have again.”

It was shortly after his early Olympic exit that the Irish boxer made the final decision to go pro and he hasn't looked back since. 

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On Saturday, March 17, Conlan, a bronze-medal winner at the 2012 London Olympic Games, returned to Madison Square Garden a year after he made his professional boxing debut there, defeating David Berna within four minutes to maintain his perfect record and achieve his fifth knockout in a total of six fights.  

Having last fought in The Theater at MSG just last December 2017, Conlan said that returning on Saint Patrick’s Day for the second consecutive year was an “unbelievable” experience he’d “remember for the rest of my life.”

Read more: Michael Conlan defeats David Berna with second round TKO

“Saint Patrick's Day is something different,” he added.

You can see the full interview with IrishCentral here: