JAMIE Conlan insists younger brother Michael’s task of dethroning IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez at the SSE Arena next Saturday night (May 27) is a tougher prospect than when he unsuccessfully challenged Leigh Wood for the WBA version last year.

The Falls Road switch-hitter was ahead on all the cards in Nottingham last March after he dominated the early rounds, but would be stopped with just 90 seconds left in what was a dramatic finish to 2022’s Fight of the Year.

A couple of morale-boosting victories over Miguel Marriaga and Karim Guerfi quickly manoeuvred Conlan back into title contention and earned him a crack at Mexico’s Lopez who will arrive in Belfast for the first defence of the belt he won against Josh Warrington back in December.

Despite fighting on enemy turf, Lopez is unlikely to feel intimidated by the Belfast crowd, but the home advantage may give Conlan the extra boost he needs going into such a tough assignment.

“This is a harder fight, ten-times harder,” said Jamie who acts as his younger brother’s manager.

“Leigh Wood, we knew his strengths and weaknesses. Michael switched to southpaw after 30 seconds and it was working great, but with this guy (Lopez) there are a lot of things he does that are unpredictable.

“He fights with no rhythm, unorthodox, unpredictable, erratic and dangerous in terms of being able to punch (powerfully) in clusters and also single punch.

“He keeps his distance but also fights up close, dangerous with the head and the shoulders, he’s dirty and isn’t fazed by going into the opponent’s backyard.

“Coming to Belfast won’t affect Lopez, but it will affect Michael as he will get the extra gee-up that’s needed, the extra man and can build off that energy and vibe they give you in Belfast. It’s something I’ve experienced myself and know he’ll thrive on it.”

An expectant home crowd could weigh heavily on Conlan who will have to deal with the added pressure on his shoulders, but everything in his career had led to this moment.

Most fighters enjoy an added build-up to their debut, but the Belfast man was handed a headlining slot at Madison Square Garden on St Patrick’s Day, 2017, and the scrutiny has been consistently great.

The early portion of a career is about adapting to the professional style, yet he had to do it under a constant microscope and being able to build despite that added pressure will help when he makes the walk next weekend.

“The one thing about Michael is that he’s had to deal with this his whole career,” said Jamie of the pressure.

“It’s both a blessing and a curse as it comes with a lot of media scrutiny and eyes on you when you’re trying to learn and adapt as a pro, especially when you’re starting off at six rounds and headlining Madison Square Garden, heading the Odyssey in an eight-round fight. He’s had all of that but hopefully, it stands him in good stead for this moment.

“He’s learnt from the Leigh Wood fight as it was a big build-up, a bitter build-up. We brought 3000 across to Nottingham but I don’t know how many more came through Ticketmaster and Matchroom (ticket sales), so it was a big occasion.

“He’s learnt from that and rebuilt. The Marriaga fight was a lot tougher than what I would have wanted for him to get straight back in against a big puncher, but to overcome that mentally showed the resolve and a box that needed to be ticked.”

Indeed, that Marriaga fight is one that the elder sibling was not convinced about initially, as it was a huge risk coming off the back of the Wood loss.

But Conlan’s desire to put that disappointment behind him immediately by jumping straight back in at the deep end was an indication that his confidence hadn’t been dented and his desire to reach the top stronger than ever.

“It was me when we sat down and said: ‘we don’t need to do this; financially you’re good and you’ve achieved a lot in your career’, but as I was halfway through the sentence he cut me off and told me to wise up - the look he gave me was all I needed,” Jamie revealed.

“He pulled me back from the Wood defeat as that hurt and it wasn’t just a normal defeat - it was heartbreaking, movie stuff.

“How he adapted, learnt from it, recovered and handled it put a fire up my arse to get things going and back on the horse.

“We had two paths: one was to take some time off and go in December; or straight back in against Miguel Marriaga - a big puncher who will test you and put you in deep waters.

“His resolve and desire to be a world champion is even greater from the Leigh Wood fight.”