BELFAST, Northern Ireland — On December 2, Michael Conlan was defeated by Jordan Gill in their super-featherweight bout at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Michael Conlan (18-3, 9 KOs) a former two-time world title challenger from Northern Ireland, was hoping to get back to his winning ways. This was his first fight under new head trainer Pedro Diaz.
Jordan Gill (28-2-1, 9 KOs), from England who was once champion of both Europe and the Commonwealth, started the fight by stepping forward while Conlan, 32, was circling the ring, counterpunching quickly and utilizing his jab.
Gill, 29, repeatedly pressed into Conlan’s body and shook his legs firmly with his right hand. With his own body shots, Conlan ended the round.
Gill forcefully dropped Conlan with his left hand in the second round. Conlan collapsed onto his back and rose on shaky legs. He was moving around the ring while taking blows to the face. After surviving the storm and retaliating, he was shaken once more when the bell rang.
Conlan was able to set up other shots by staying on the back foot and jabbing skillfully during the third round. Gill would give Conlan a series of powerful blows. Conlan managed to cling on and avoid danger.
Conlan unleashed a barrage of head and body blows in the fourth round. Gill was basically hiding until he answered with a few of his own combinations. Gill was looking for huge shots to finish the show, while Conlan was making his way back. Conlan was outworking Gill on the inside in the fifth round. He was using his southpaw stance quite effectively.
Gill performed a better job with his powerful strikes in the sixth round. Conlan purposefully elbowed Gill at the end of the round, and the referee told him he would be disqualified if it happened again.
Gill stunned Conlan early in the seventh round with a series of forceful blows. As Conlan was battered against the ropes, the referee intervened to break off the fight.
“I’ve turned my life around in the last four months,” said Gill in media reports.
“A breathtaking performance,” said promotor Eddie Hearn describing Gill’s performance.
