MICK CONLAN jumped back in the ring after his longest spell away from boxing and wondered, ‘Who’s that?’
But the question wasn’t about his sparring partner that day – but about himself.
After two stoppage defeats in 2023, to Luis Alberto Lopez for the world title and Jordan Gill in his comeback, that looked to be that for the London 2012 bronze medallist.
In his time away, he ran a marathon, worked behind the scenes in boxing and seriously considered calling it quits.
By the time he dipped his toe back in the water with a new trainer, Grant Smith, he found that the habit of a lifetime had deserted him.
Conlan told The Rocky Road podcast: “I’ll be honest, after a year out of the ring, my first seven to ten spars, I was absolutely terrible. I was like, ‘have I forgotten how to box?’
“Grant says, ‘Mick, I understand you’ve not been in the ring so long. Don’t worry about it. It’s gonna come, it’s gonna come’.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know if it’s gonna f***ing come here. What’s happening?’
“It was like my timing, my distance and everything, and I was going, ‘where is my boxing brain going here?’
“But then everything started to come back. I’m like, oh, ‘there I am. There I am. I’m still here. I’m still here. I still know what I’m doing’.
“And everything’s starting to fall into place now, which is good.
The pair have worked together since mid-2024, with Conlan’s comeback set for Friday March 7 against India’s Asad Asif Khan (19-5-1).
Smith, dad of European 140lb champ Dalton, runs a right ship in England’s Steel City and has demanded the Full Monty from the Belfast man as he prepares for his comeback.
Conlan added: “Yeah, I’m basically living here in Sheffield.
“It’s a great gym. Grant is a great coach, but also as a human being, he’s a very good man. I really like it.
“It’s brought the spark back in me of boxing. I’ve been here since end of September, start of October, and I’ve had plenty of time working together now.
“With my last coach Pedro Diaz, we were only together for basically six weeks of training.
“I’m feeling good physically, mentally. I’ve cleared a lot of s*** going on in my personal life, and I’m happy.”
While a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter, Conlan says Smith puts him on edge, too.
The 2015 world amateur champ added: “I respect him, his morals and his stance on boxing, how he looks after his fighters.
“He’s always got the fighters’ best interests at heart. And also, he’s the only one really pulling me up on mistakes.
“And I was like, ‘I know I make these mistakes, so I’m glad you’re pulling me up on them’.
“We spoke about it at the start, he’s not gonna try and change me as a fighter, but he will pull me on the mistakes which I make, and that’s something he’s been doing, and something I’ve been kind of trying to adjust to.
“It makes me more complete. I may be boxing 26 years but I make mistakes, I know that, so he’s been perfect.”
‘HE’S GOT SCARS’
As Conlan tries to win a world title at the third time of asking, Smith’s resilience can be an example too.
While out for a jog in 2006, the coach was mown down by a 56-tonne tram moving at 30mph – and lived to tell the tale.
Conlan added: “He’s got the scars and stuff on his head. The guy was near dead and his family were told that he’d be like a vegetable.
“But he told me while he was going through all this stuff, he could hear everything they were saying.
“He was trying to talk (while in a coma), but obviously was out. And he was saying, ‘I’m all right. I’m all right’.
“He’s a great man. He’s a tough man, but he’s a man who keeps himself to himself and keeps his head down.
“But he’s been through some stuff. It’s crazy. Earphones on and then bang, his thing…
“The story of what he’s been through and what the stuff he’s survived, I suppose, is absolutely mental.
“To be hit by something like that and then be sitting there going, ‘I’m all right’, but you’re actually not.
“You’re sitting there with your shoulders behind your back and your head’s bloody hanging off and you’re going, Jesus Christ, this guy’s going to die.
“I think he checks himself out a week later. You’re going, ‘what the hell is wrong with you?’ I always said there was something wrong with you! And he just laughs.
“But he’s a real good man. I’ll be honest, he’s a real good man, a family man, someone who cares about every single fighter like he cares about his own son. And I love that. I think it’s brilliant.”
SOLE FOCUS
Conlan expects to win his comeback – but the method of victory is not important.
He added: “I’m actually really excited about going out and performing.
“I know that I’m probably levels ahead of my opponent, but he’s coming to win. I’m coming off back-to-back losses.
“He knows how to win. I’ve just got to show my level of boxing, my knowledge and skill set and do what I’ve got to do and get the job done and then move on.
“I probably could be forgiven for fighting somebody with ten losses, 2 wins. I mean, like if I really wanted to, I could have done that.
“But I know that’s not what I need. The only reason I am back is to win world titles.
“It’s not about money. It’s not about anything else. I want to be world champion. And I know I have the ability and the skill set.
“I’ve made the tweaks. I believe I can do it. I’ve watched about a round or two rounds of my opponent. He throws and he’ll leave himself open at times to be hit.
“He’s a lot more active than me. So I need to be switched on.
“He’s cocky. So maybe I’ll give some s*** talking and stuff while I’m in the ring. Who knows?
“ I’ve been I’ve been enjoying that since I was born, giving people a little bit of talk back and stuff. So it’s been good.”
A win, as he says, by any means would mean a good night at the office.
In the main event, his frineds Harlem Eubank and Tyrone McKenna face off. Conlan will be watching through his fingers.
He added: “A win, mate. I’m over a year out. A win. Stoppage would be even better, but I don’t care.
“I need rounds, don’t I? I haven’t been in the ring in a long time. So if I win clearly on points, fine.
“I just got to win and show my own ability. That’s what will constitute a good night – showing my level.”
Conlan freely admits this is the last roll of the dice for him in boxing.
REMINDED OF THE DANGER
And after the death of super-featherweight John Cooney following a Belfast battle last month, it has been brought home once more how dangerous the sport can be.
Now 32, he said: “After my last fight, I was like, ‘f*** this. I don’t know if I want to do this anymore’.
“It’s hard. And, you know, when you lose, when I lose, I’m losing in front of f***ing millions of people.
“People watch us and people will criticize and say things. And it’s hurtful. A hundred per cent it is hurtful and it dents the ego and dents the person.
“But they’re only seeing a glimpse of what it is. If I look back on my last two fights and everything, you know, on my personal life, I probably shouldn’t have been in the ring.
“But you make these decisions in the moment and you’re in that time. If I go back, yes, I would change them, but I can’t go back.
“The last year I was going, do I really want to do this? Running the marathon, to be honest, was one of the reasons I went, no, I need to go back to boxing because I know what I want to achieve.
“It’s the last dance, the last roll of the dice. And I’ve said that numerous times. If I was to lose again, that would be me done. That would be me.
“Listen, boxing is a dangerous game, as we’ve seen in recent times. I don’t really want to talk about that stuff because I am going to fight myself.
“But it is a very dangerous game and people give their lives to this game. I want to be world champion.
“I’ll do everything I can to be world champion. I’m willing to sacrifice so much to be like I’m over here in Sheffield, again, missing more of my kids’ lives.
“But if I don’t do it on this roll of the dice, that’ll be it. You know, I’ve done an awful lot. I’ve achieved an awful lot. I’ve made a lot of money.
“It’s not about that no more. It’s about the goal of becoming world champion. If I can reach that, happy days. If I don’t, then so be it.”
