Michael Conlan Looking to Return To Winning Ways Against Miguel Marriaga
On August 6, world-ranked featherweight Michael Conlan (16-1, 8 KOs) returns to the ring as he faces multiple-time world title challenger Miguel Marriaga (30-5, 26 KOs) at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The last time Conlan was in action, he suffered a twelfth-round knockout to the current WBA ‘regular’ featherweight champion Leigh Wood in March 2022. Heading into the last round, Conlan was ahead on the scorecards and looked to be on his way to victory. But, with eighty-five seconds left in the fight, Wood connected with a right hand that put Conlan out on his feet. A follow-up combination knocked him through the ropes and out of the ring. It was one of the most dramatic finishes to a fight you will ever see.
There were moments of serious concern afterward as Conlan was rushed away to a local hospital. After being examined, he was given a clean bill of health and released the morning after the contest.
Just days away from his return to the ring, the fight with Wood is still fresh on the mind of fans and pundits. During a sit-down interview with the UK media outlet Boxing Social, Conlan talked about his previous fight and where things went wrong.
LEARNING FROM DEFEAT
“Yeah, I went over the loss and noticed where I made mistakes. It’s been more of a learning curve than anything. That’s been fantastic. So you know, I’m really happy with how things have progressed since.
“I know the silly mistakes which I made, and I’ve obviously went back and tried to correct them and fix things. So, I think I’ve taken it more of a learning than a loss.”
The 30-year-old from Belfast said there were no moments of hesitation leading up to the upcoming fight with Marriaga. Training camp has been fantastic. In his mind, there will be no lingering effects on fight night.
READY TO MOVE FORWARD
“I just want to get back into the title race and back to the top. I’m looking forward to going in and putting on a performance, and that’s it. I’m not worried about anything. I think my preparation, how I prepare always kind of eradicates any doubt. So, that’s where I’m at.”
Marriaga is a veteran who has fought some of the elite featherweights over the last decade. He’s only been stopped once in his career, and that was to then-WBO featherweight champ Vasyl Lomachenko in August 2017. Ranked six by the WBA and ninth by the WBC, Conlan is still in the running to fight for a world title. With an understanding of what he must do, his mission is to take care of business against Marriaga and get back to winning ways.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
