Michael Conlan finally makes his long-awaited return to the boxing ring this weekend as he faces Asad Asif Khan.
Fighting on the Harlem Eubank vs Tyrone McKenna undercard on Friday 7 March in Brighton, England, the Belfast born star has a point to prove.
Conlan hasn’t set foot in the ring since 2023 when he was beaten by Jordan Gill, his third consecutive defeat after title fight defeats against Leigh Wood, who Josh Warrington compared to a ‘poodle’, and Luis Alberto Lopez.
His career has been a hectic one to say the least and while he is well known in the professional game, it was his controversial loss at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 that changed the entire face of boxing.
Michael Conlan was controversially beaten at Rio 2016 Olympics
Heading into the Games, Conlan was a reigning World and European champion, bronze medalist at London 2012 and the favorite for gold in Brazil.
He comfortably reached the quarter finals before being pitted up against Russian Vladimir Nikitin.
His opponent wasn’t an easy match and had previously beaten the Irishman before, but something didn’t appear right.
Nikitin entered the ring with visible stitches to his head, but that didn’t stop Conlan. He comfortably won the first round but to everyone’s surprise, Nikitin was awarded it despite clearly being on the back foot.
Stepping up his game even further, the Belfast man dominated again. 1-1 the judges’ had it scored going into the final round.
Round three is closer but Conlan edges it. But. He doesn’t win…
The Russian Nikitin is awarded a place in the semi finals and Conlan shows his anger, removing his top before showing a middle finger to the judges’.
Michael Conlan’s professional career hangs by a thread
After over a year out of action, this return to ring for Conlan is make or break for his career.
If he loses, it’s safe to say that there will be almost no chance of returning to the top level, but Conlan is determined to prove everyone wrong and become a world champion.
His return also marks a new era after he opted to sign for Wasserman Boxing and he believes that they can help restore him back to the good times.
As per BBC Sport, he said: “I still firmly believe I have the ability to get to the very top, and I did not want to retire and 10 or 15 years down the line thinking ‘what if?’.
“For this defining period in my career, it was vital to partner with the right promoter and I am thrilled to team up with Kalle, [his brother] Nisse and the whole team at Wasserman Boxing.”