Jamie Conlan is hungry to cap a dream year for his family at Dublin’s National Stadium on Saturday night.
Jamie admits brother Michael's recent World Championship gold rush has given him a tough act to follow.
The latter became the first-ever Irishman to win an amateur world title in Doha last month, adding to his illustrious haul of European, Commonwealth and Olympic medals.
But elder brother Jamie, himself a decorated amateur, is hungry to take another step towards his own world title in the professional ranks when he co-headlines a bill at Dublin’s National Stadium on Saturday night.
The undefeated Belfast super-flyweight takes on Argentinian Adrian Dimas Garzon in a keep-busy bout as he prepares for an anticipated world-title eliminator against England’s former world champ Paul Butler in the new year.
The elder Conlan, undefeated as a pro in 14 fights, admits that it is unlikely he will be able to top his brother’s achievements no matter what feats he manages. “Anything he can do, I have to try and do even better, but to be champion of the world, it’s hard to top what he’s just done,” said 29-year-old Jamie.
“I always say becoming amateur world champion is harder than being a professional world champion because there’s so many of them [in the pros]. There only is one amateur world champion, there’s about 300 professional world champions, so he’s just done something I could never do.”
"Michael wanted to turn pro after the last Olympics but me and my father sat down with him and told him bronze isn't good enough, he needs to get a gold. So he's promised us a gold.
"The hard part's done on my part. I'm looking forward to getting fighting. Everything is done. I can just get in and enjoy myself. Me and my brother Michael have had a good year. This will be the finish to it and we can finish in style.
With a big-money fight against former IBF world champion Butler looking likely to happen early next year, Conlan maintains that he can’t let complacency set in this weekend
The Falls Road fighter will be expected to make easy work of Garzon, who carries a losing record of 10-18, as he bids to shake any rust picked up since his gutsy win over Mexican Junior Granados at a sold-out Stadium last July
“It’s only an eight-rounder but for me it’s important because if I lose, this is snakes and ladders and I’ll go back down to the start,” said Conlan. “I’ve to keep winning because it’s not just this fight, it’s the fights in front of me that’ll disappear if I don’t win,” he added.
A host of Irish prospects feature on the fight card promoted by Frank Warren and Matthew Macklin’s Gym Marbella, while the vacant Irish welterweight title clash between Dean Byrne and Peter McDonagh shares top billing.
McDonagh, a two-weight Irish champion, was born in Galway but was raised in London and Dubliner Byrne has stoked the fires ahead of the bout by labelling his opponent a ‘Plastic Paddy’.
“I use it as fuel for the fire and come Saturday night we’ll see who the real Irish man is,” said McDonagh. Another domestic grudge fight will see cruiserweights Ian Tims and Michael Sweeney clash in a rematch of their 2011 bout, which the former won.
