By: Sean Crose
“Michael Conlan could have made a much less risky fight to get back on the ring at SSE Arena on Saturday night,” former player Carl Frampton wrote. Belfast Telegraph, “But to his credit, he is jumping in with Miguel Marriaga, who is a big threat despite being at a veteran stage of his career.” Conlans’ last game came in March when he was knocked down in round 12 and finally in a great fight with Leigh Wood. At the time, Conlan was looking to win his first world championship. He was eventually eliminated from the ring. No problem. Both Conlan and Wood fought so recklessly that there was little to criticize either of them.
Still, Frampton was impressed that Conlan didn’t care about facing a light touch when he returned. “Once I knew who the opponent would be,” Frampton wrote, “I thought it was a very brave fight.” While Marriaga 30-5 doesn’t have the fan support that Conlan has, he’s been pitted against the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko, Nicolas Walters and Oscar Valdez, all of whom are undefeated and are flourishing when they do. meet Marriaga in the ring. Expect the Colombian-born player to make the most of his chances after the opening bell rings on Saturday in Belfast, Conlan’s hometown.
“Marriaga is a boxer, a good boxer who has fought at world level before, so this just shows what kind of person Mick is when he’s ready to go into a fight like this,” he said. Frampton wrote. “He’s a big boxer and that always carries a threat because you can beat someone for a long time and end up getting caught.” As Frampton points out, “that’s what happened to Mick against Leigh Wood.” If Conlan can learn from any mistakes he may have made against Wood, Frampton believes the Irishman can win on Saturday.
“I support him in this fight,” Frampton wrote, “and give him all the credit in the world for making such a risky fight. People want to see a good game and he understands that.”
