Ireland’s Golden Boy Michael Conlan Makes History

That emotion was understandable if slightly different to the terror which surely struck Conlan’s friends, family and supporters watching live on TV, while a stunned hush descended on the previously vocal crowd of Irish ex-pats in the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena.

Two judges scored the first round in favour of Conlan, while one scored in favour of Akhmadaliev.

Conlan joins Katie Taylor as the only Irish fighters to win AIBA world titles, with Taylor due to go for her sixth in Kazakhstan early next year. If I wasn’t as fit as I am, I wouldn’t have been able to get up.

Following the bout, the Belfast native declared, “You can call me the Conor McGregor of boxing – I predict everything I do and I’m coming through successful”.

Conlan, 23, said it was the first time he had ever been knocked down in his life, but he still clung on to claim the bantamweight title (56kg) at the championships in Doha. I’ll be going to Rio as the world champion.

The Ireland rugby team will be hoping they can emulate the nation’s boxers and also become world champions for the first time this month, and their hopes of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup may hinge on how quickly outhalf Johnny Sexton can recover from the groin injury he sustained in the famous win over France last Sunday.

“Those judges need to go to Specsavers”, said Walsh after O’Reilly lost on an unanimous 3-0 decision to Egyptian veteran Homas Abdin.

The remaining five finals will be fought on Thursday.

“Nobody else qualified from Egypt or Africa for the Olympics in Doha. I m a bit speechless”, he said afterwards. “Now I’m after hearing I was down in the first two rounds, so there’s something going on because anyone who watched that fight would know I won”.

21-year-old Joe Ward has the chance to make it an extra-golden championships for Ireland tonight when he takes on Cuba’s Julio La Cruz in their heavyweight final.

“The guys have done so well so far and we are now looking to put the icing on the cake”, said head coach Billy Walsh.