Michael Conlan on Wednesday survived a last minute knockdown to create boxing history, becoming the first Irishman to win an AIBA World Boxing Championship title.
Conlan, 23, said it was the first time he had ever been knocked down in his life, but he still clung on to claim the bantamweight title (56kg) at the championships in Doha.
The Belfast boxer, already the European and Commonwealth champion, won a brawling encounter against Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Photo: AFP
The pair went toe-to-toe, but Conlan had moved narrowly ahead on points by the time they entered the final round.
In desperation, the Uzbek threw a big right hook in the final minute, which connected with Conlan’s chin to send the Irishman sprawling.
Clearly shaken, Conlan held on for the final few seconds to win his nation’s first ever gold. Bizarrely, the judges gave Conlan the final round, which was harsh on Akhmadaliev.
“I am a world champion. There is not much more I can say to be honest. I am a bit speechless,” Conlan said afterward.
“I have never been put down in my life, head shot or body shot... [He hit me] sweet on the chin and I was down, but it is a testament to my fitness, you know,” Conlan said.
Conlan, cheered on by a large number of Irish fans in the packed Ali bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena in the Qatari capital, also became a father for the first time this year and said he was “desperate” to get home to see his baby daughter.
He prepared for the fight by watching the Sylvester Stallone boxing classic Rocky II on Tuesday and joked afterward that he identified with the film’s star, who says in the movie that winning a boxing title was the best day of his life after his baby being born.
Also on Wednesday, a new star of Cuban boxing was born when the baby-faced Joahnys Argilagos took gold, aged just 18.
The stylish teenager danced, bobbed and weaved his way to the title in the light-flyweight division (46kg-49kg), and, like Conlan, even overcame being knocked down in the final round.
Argilagos said afterward that he had “prepared well” for the tournament and wanted more medals.
“Now I am the world champion, I want to win gold in Rio,” he said about next year’s Olympics.
Argilagos, nicknamed “Small Giant,” did just enough in the first two rounds to take the title, the first gold medal of the tournament.
He outsmarted Russia’s Vasili Egorov and was cruising to the title before near-disaster struck in the third, when he was floored by a right and received a count of eight.
However, the judges decided the title was still his.
It was one of two gold medals Cuba took, with Arlen Lopez winning in the middleweight (75kg) division.
However, Erislandy Savon missed out at heavyweight (91kg), losing somewhat surprisingly to Russia’s Evgeny Tishchenko.
Russia also won gold at light-welterweight (64kg), with Vitaly Dunaytsev beating Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov.
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
TO NO AVAIL: The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center Nikola Jokic surpassed his 53-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix The Washington Wizards withstood a 56-point explosion from Denver star Nikola Jokic to beat the Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday and snap their 16-game NBA losing streak. Jokic, who won his third NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season, posted a career scoring high — surpassing a 53-point performance in game four of the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix and a 50-point regular-season best against Sacramento in 2021. The Serbian big man added 16 rebounds and eight assists, but it was all to no avail as Washington, buoyed by 39 points from Jordan Poole, won for the first time
RSS