In an impressive upset victory, Jordan Gill (28-2-1, 9 KOs) stopped two-time Olympian Michael Conlan (27-3-1, 8 KOs) in the seventh round in super featherweight action on Saturday night in their headliner at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The much bigger-looking Gill used his size & superior power to knock the 32-year-old Conlan down in the second round with a hard left to the head. Conlan was wobbled several times before the round ended and looked in bad shape as he returned to his corner.
In the third round, Conlan fought better but was still getting nailed by some vicious shots from Gill. Conlan came back to fight reasonably well in rounds four through six.
Things fell apart for Conlan in the seventh round when he was hurt by a leaping left hook from Gill. From there, Gill poured it on, landing a couple of textbook rabbit punches that worsened his condition.
Conlan then shelled up in the corner and was unloaded on with a storm of hard shots from Gill, leaving the referee, Howard Foster with no choice but to step in and halt the contest. The time of the stoppage was at 1:09 of the seventh.
In hindsight, it was a bad idea for Conlan to take this tough fight after getting destroyed by IBF featherweight champion Luis Albero Lopez in a fifth round knockout earlier this year in May.
Conlan took a lot of punishment in that fight against the powerful Luis Lopez, and it would have been better if he’d eased back into competition against a smaller, weaker fighter instead of the hulking Jorge Gill, who looked like a 140-pounder tonight.
“A breathtaking performance. I’ll be completely honest. I thought Michael Conlan was a big favorite going into the fight tonight,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing, moments after Jordan Gill’s stoppage win over Michael Conlan on Saturday night.
“He’s been out for over a year. We, as a team, didn’t know what he [Gill] had left in the gym or desire other than what he was telling us, which was a lot. But from the moment that he scored the knockdown, I looked in the neutral corner, and there was something in his eye tonight that said, ‘I’m going to do it.’
“That wasn’t just a career-best performance. That was a life-changing performance from Jordan Gill because this was it tonight. If he gets beat by Michael Conlan, his career is over. All of a sudden, he puts in a performance like that, and he’s screaming for a shot at the world title.
“I didn’t know anything about the story that he told, and that’s a great inspiration to people and a great story. It shows you what he came back from. As a whole team, to come here and beat Michael Conlan on a year out, I knew he [Gill] should have moved to super feather.
“As soon as he got beat by Kiko [Martinez], you could see it on the night. He looked like a different fighter in there tonight. To a fighter that looked like this was his final payday to a fighter that looks like he’s opened up a few new chapters. I’m really excited, I’m really pleased for him. He’s a lovely fellow.
“Like he said. He’s done a lot. European champion, Commonwealth champion, WBA champion, and always looked on the verge of doing something in the sport, and tonight, he did something in the sport. It’s going to be exciting to see where it goes from here.
“After beating Michael Conlan in Belfast, why not a shot at a world title? You got Joe Cordina, you got Navarrete, you got so many great champions, but what one out of the bag tonight, one against the head? It was a massive, massive night for Jordan. Well done, mate,” said Hearn
Michael Conlan vs Jordan Gill results
- Jordan Gill def. Michael Conlan (7/12 TKO); Super Featherweights
- Lewis Crocker def. Tyrone McKenna (UD 10); Welterweights
- Caoimhin Agyarko def. Troy Williamson (SD 10); Super Welterweights
- Sean McComb def. Sam Maxwell (UD 10); Super Lightweights
- Gerard Hughes def. Ruadhan Farrell (PTS 6); Super Bantamweights
- Cameron Vuong def. Michal Dufek (TKO 4/6); Lightweights
