After a split-decision defeat against Kevin Walsh in Belfast, Michael Conlan draws a line under his career.
Irish featherweight Michael Conlan has announced his retirement from professional boxing. The two-time world title challenger announced the end of his career immediately after a split-decision defeat to Kevin Walsh last night at the SSE Arena Belfast in Belfast. Conlan (20-4, 10 knockouts) lost a controversial points decision to the American after ten uneventful rounds.
“I don’t want this anymore and it’s time to say goodbye to boxing,” Conlan told reporters in his dressing room. “It wasn’t good enough. Whether it was close or whether people thought I won, I didn’t win clearly enough. To become world champion, I have to beat opponents like that and beat them clearly, but that was a bit too close. To come off the way I did – maybe it’s controversial or whatever, but it’s just time.”
Conlan secured a bronze medal for Ireland at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Belfast-born boxer can look back on a successful amateur career, which was crowned with gold at the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Doha.
Conlan made his professional debut with promoter Bob Arum under the Top Rank banner at Madison Square Garden in 2017. However, he was unable to consistently translate his amateur form into the professional ranks. Conlan was working towards a third world title fight, having previously lost two world championship fights. Knockout defeats to Leigh Wood in 2022 and Luis Alberto Lopez in 2023 ultimately prevented him from fulfilling his dream of becoming world champion.