By: Sean Crose
Michael Conlan impressed the hometown crowd in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday when he overcame Karim Guerfi in the first round. It’s basically a story about the body’s work as male Conlan repeatedly slams into Guerfi’s body, sending the Frenchman staggered toward the ropes. Going low, then high, Conlan unleashed a combination, then sent Guerfi to the floor when the referee stepped in and stopped the game.
Conlan, the famous former Olympic and featherweight athlete, returned to the ring for a second time on Saturday after suffering a crushing defeat to Leigh Wood in a truly stunning match in March. Conlan said of the brief fight with Guerfi: “Every shot made him wince. “I know I hurt him. It’s only a matter of time.” As for the loss to Wood earlier in the year, Conlan indicated he was ready to move on.
“I can’t let that stay in my memory forever,” he said. “I need to get in and rewrite that and face Leigh or another world champion ASAP.”
