Michael Conlan suffered an upset defeat in his Belfast hometown when he succumbed on a cut up resolution to Kevin Walsh.
Conlan, a two-time Olympian and London 2012 bronze medallist, nonetheless harboured ambitions of a world title struggle after Walsh.
However he suffered a factors loss on the SSE Area in Belfast.
One decide had Conlan profitable their 10-rounder 97-93 however the different two officers each scored 96-94 for Walsh.
Unbeaten American Walsh, from Brockton, Massachusetts, rose to the event to safe the perfect victory of his profession thus far.
Kevin Walsh celebrates his unlikely victory.
“It was a detailed struggle,” Walsh mentioned. “However I bought it accomplished.”
Conlan turned skilled in a blaze of publicity and did struggle his means into world class. His extraordinary conflict with Leigh Wooden in 2022 resulted in a knockout defeat.
In 2023 he challenged Luis Alberto Lopez for the IBF featherweight world title but in addition misplaced by stoppage. An upset loss to Jordan Gill again in 2023 as properly was a heavy blow to his profession.
He was rebuilding, impressing with final 12 months’s knockout victory over Jack Bateson as an illustration.
However this newest defeat is a serious setback. Moderately than urgent for a world title shot, now the 34-year-old may need to think about his future within the sport.
