THE SHORTLIST FOR RTÉ Sports Person of the Year is packed with worthy contenders, but ahead of Saturday night’s ceremony, three nominees stand out from the rest of the 2015 field.
Yesterday, Sean Farrell made the case for Paul O’Connell. Today, Ciarán Gallagher argues in favour of world boxing champion Michael Conlan…
With some 40 seconds to go in the World Championship bantamweight final, Michael Conlan was floored by a right hand from his opponent, Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan, and Ireland’s hopes of a first-ever gold medal in the competition hung on whether the Belfast native could recover to seal victory.
That he did and, in the process, Conlan showed the resilience of a fighter who doesn’t know how to quit.
The 23-year-old maintained the fantastic form that had seen him claim European gold earlier in the year throughout the Worlds in Doha, defeating four opponents, over 12 rounds, inside seven days. All the way through, Conlan had to make weight for each of his bouts.
Advertisement
Three of those opponents are in the top 10 rankings of the world’s best 56kg boxers and Conlan now sits on top of the pile at number one – only the second time an Irish male boxer has topped the international individual rankings at any weight class.
There are some candidates on RTÉ’s shortlist that fail to fire at world level. And unlike some of the other world champions on the shortlist, Conlan was competing in a tournament which has a rich history and a real depth of unavoidable competition; international boxing at this level is not a sport still at a relatively developmental stage, and neither is it one where rival ‘champions’ can claim a portion of your crown.
Only once previously in the 41-year history of the World Championships has an Irishman reached the final and the Falls Road fighter went one step further.
Conlan gives his daughter, Luisne, a taste of the world Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
Six months before his World Championship success, Conlan booked his place at a second Olympic Games after travelling over 34,000 miles to compete in seven bouts in the World Series of Boxing (WSB). He had none of the financial incentives WSB fighters are usually treated to as both Conlan and Paddy Barnes opted to box for the Italia Thunder side on the agreement that they be selected for a certain number of bouts to boost their chances of Olympic qualification.
Shattered and exhausted in a hotel room in Maiquetía, Venezuela ahead of his final WSB bout, Conlan was potentially one win away from sealing Olympic qualification but he was also dependent on an unlikely result elsewhere going his way.
With the odds stacked against him, he seriously considered turning his back on ‘amateur’ boxing as the temptation to quit again lingered. It looked a lost cause, but Conlan fought and won in Venezuela, picking up the points he needed in the competition to book his place at Rio 2016, and spurned lucrative offers to turn professional in order to chase Olympic gold.
In between those two world feats, he strolled to European gold – and, if ‘personality’ matters, the affable Belfast Boy also managed to fit in a marriage proposal to his partner Shauna as well as fathering his first child, daughter Luisne, dedicating his World Championships achievements to them and different family members as cleared each hurdle in Doha.
Not a bad 11-and-a-half months, but Conlan’s unparalleled run of sporting achievements should be recognised by RTÉ’s judging panel to cap a fantastic year.
Tomorrow: Paul Dollery on why Conor McGregor deserves to win…
Why Michael Conlan deserves to be named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year
THE SHORTLIST FOR RTÉ Sports Person of the Year is packed with worthy contenders, but ahead of Saturday night’s ceremony, three nominees stand out from the rest of the 2015 field.
Yesterday, Sean Farrell made the case for Paul O’Connell. Today, Ciarán Gallagher argues in favour of world boxing champion Michael Conlan…
With some 40 seconds to go in the World Championship bantamweight final, Michael Conlan was floored by a right hand from his opponent, Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan, and Ireland’s hopes of a first-ever gold medal in the competition hung on whether the Belfast native could recover to seal victory.
That he did and, in the process, Conlan showed the resilience of a fighter who doesn’t know how to quit.
The 23-year-old maintained the fantastic form that had seen him claim European gold earlier in the year throughout the Worlds in Doha, defeating four opponents, over 12 rounds, inside seven days. All the way through, Conlan had to make weight for each of his bouts.
Three of those opponents are in the top 10 rankings of the world’s best 56kg boxers and Conlan now sits on top of the pile at number one – only the second time an Irish male boxer has topped the international individual rankings at any weight class.
There are some candidates on RTÉ’s shortlist that fail to fire at world level. And unlike some of the other world champions on the shortlist, Conlan was competing in a tournament which has a rich history and a real depth of unavoidable competition; international boxing at this level is not a sport still at a relatively developmental stage, and neither is it one where rival ‘champions’ can claim a portion of your crown.
Only once previously in the 41-year history of the World Championships has an Irishman reached the final and the Falls Road fighter went one step further.
Six months before his World Championship success, Conlan booked his place at a second Olympic Games after travelling over 34,000 miles to compete in seven bouts in the World Series of Boxing (WSB). He had none of the financial incentives WSB fighters are usually treated to as both Conlan and Paddy Barnes opted to box for the Italia Thunder side on the agreement that they be selected for a certain number of bouts to boost their chances of Olympic qualification.
Shattered and exhausted in a hotel room in Maiquetía, Venezuela ahead of his final WSB bout, Conlan was potentially one win away from sealing Olympic qualification but he was also dependent on an unlikely result elsewhere going his way.
With the odds stacked against him, he seriously considered turning his back on ‘amateur’ boxing as the temptation to quit again lingered. It looked a lost cause, but Conlan fought and won in Venezuela, picking up the points he needed in the competition to book his place at Rio 2016, and spurned lucrative offers to turn professional in order to chase Olympic gold.
In between those two world feats, he strolled to European gold – and, if ‘personality’ matters, the affable Belfast Boy also managed to fit in a marriage proposal to his partner Shauna as well as fathering his first child, daughter Luisne, dedicating his World Championships achievements to them and different family members as cleared each hurdle in Doha.
Not a bad 11-and-a-half months, but Conlan’s unparalleled run of sporting achievements should be recognised by RTÉ’s judging panel to cap a fantastic year.
Tomorrow: Paul Dollery on why Conor McGregor deserves to win…
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Boxing Michael Conlan Olympic Games Olympics RTÉ RTÉ SPOTY World Series of Boxing