MAKING the correct decisions from here on in is imperative for Michael Conlan who is confident he made the right one in selecting Grant Smith as his new coach ahead of one final push towards reaching his goal.
Conlan has not boxed since losing to Jordan Gill in Belfast last December and is not planning to step back through the ropes until next year, deciding to take his time and bed in with his new team in Sheffield.
The decision to team up with Smith was not an easy one as the West Belfast man surveyed his options after deciding to part ways with Miami-based Pedro Diaz.
Buddy McGirt and Stephen Smith were also in the frame, but Conlan always had an inkling the Steel City Gym would be his destination with Smith also training some top names including former flyweight champion Sunny Edwards, former undisputed light-welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron and his own son, Dalton who is a 140lb contender. Training alongside such talent helped make Conlan’s mind up and he is very happy with how things have gone so far.
It’s not that his new coach is going to radically change him as a fighter, but help iron out the mistakes that have cost him in the past. “It’s been great,” he confirmed.
“I’ve really looked forward to working with Grant since we did a bit of training together and then I felt he was the right coach.
“It was between him and Stephen Smith, but Grant has a little bit extra and more quality fighters in the gym, so I’m grateful to all the guys for giving me the opportunity to work with them.
“I’ve been in the game for 26 years now, so nobody is going to teach me much new about boxing. Grant Smith isn’t trying to change my style, just tweak the mistakes and that’s what I need as I know I make mistakes. Everyone does and I’m making those tweaks with Grant, I’m very happy.”
Small mistakes at the top level are ruthlessly punished, as Conlan has found to his cost, and naturally, tightening up his defence is high on the agenda. But there are other aspects of his game he recognises require work in terms of throwing his shots at the right moments and perhaps, pulling back on his tendency to switch stances a little too frequently.
“They are silly little things I’ve always done, but haven’t been pulled on them,” he continued.
“There isn’t much I haven’t known myself and the fact he’s picking up on one or two other things is good. I’m happy with that and that’s the reason I’m there as a lot of those things have been ingrained for years. Now we’re getting them fixed, it will take time so that’s why I’m going into camp early.”
Having lost out twice in world title challenges which preceded the Gill defeat, there is no more room for slip-ups and the plan will be to gradually work his way back into contention rather than jump straight back in at the deep end.
Recent reports suggested he was signed and sealed to ProBox TV but that is not quite over the line yet. He may well return on one of their cards, but then he insists “the door isn’t closed on anyone yet” and there have been talks with other promoters to identify the best option.
What is likely is that he will be back in action in March in a fight to get him back on the horse and then look to build from there.
“I’m coming off back-to-back losses and won’t be jumping straight back into the deep end,” he stressed.
“This last run needs to be done in the correct way and I plan on doing that, so I won’t rush myself or take unnecessary fights right away. I’ll be looking to come back to a decent opponent, but probably a 70-30, and build towards title contention.
“Where I fight and who I fight, I’m controlling all this by myself. It won’t be this year, but probably March, August and December next year whereby that stage it will hopefully be an eliminator or even a title fight.”
