According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Irish Olympian Michael Conlan has signed a promotional contract with Top Rank.
“I think this is an incredible signing for Top Rank and incredible for boxing in America, because he will fight the majority of his fights here in the U.S., building a big fan base in the Irish community,” said Top Rank’s Todd duBoef said. “We think he is the next big star in boxing in America. There’s a huge Irish population here in the United States.”
“I’m really looking forward to all of this,” Conlan told ESPN.com. “I couldn’t be with a better team than Top Rank. They’ll take me to a world title. I’m looking forward to the journey.”
Said manager Matthew Macklin, a former longtime middleweight contender: “Everyone wanted to sign him, but once we touched base with Top Rank, we locked into that. We believe they will be the best to develop Michael’s career and build him into a pay-per-view star. His bags are packed to be based in America. We believe he is with the right people and will become a huge pay-per-view star here and on the other side of the Atlantic.”
“I think it’s every Irish fighter’s dream to fight on that weekend in New York,” Conlan said. “It’s going to be big. I’ll take the opportunity with both hands.”
“This kid, I feel, is something special,” Bob Arum said. “There’s something about this kid. He has a lovely personality and, obviously, based on what my matchmakers say, he has ability, which is what counts. As far as his personality, he lights up the room. The fans are going to love this kid. I’m going to hit all the Irish cities — New York, Boston and over in Ireland also.”
After the decision, Conlan said: “AIBA cheats, AIBA f—ing cheats. That’s me; I’ll never box for AIBA again. They’re cheating b——. They’re paying everybody. I don’t give a f— for cursing on TV. That’s the end of my Olympic gold. My dream has been shattered now.
“I have a big career ahead of me. These ones are known for being cheats. They have always been cheats. Amateur boxing stinks, from the core right to the top. I thought I boxed the ears off him in the first round, but they scored it against me. So I had to fight his fight, which I did. I outfought him. It’s a shambles, to be honest.”
“I think what happened will be the driving force for me to become the greatest Irish fighter ever, because it will give me a kick, like it did for Roy Jones and Floyd Mayweather,” Conlan said, referring to Jones and Mayweather’s controversial losses in Olympic bouts. “I can get over things really fast, and I can push on. I won’t forget it, but now I will focus on becoming a world champion and a star with Top Rank.”
“I think I have a great following already, and my goal is to be Ireland’s greatest ever fighter,” Conlan said. “I believe I can be that. I think I’m the guy to do that. I will give the Irish fans something to shout about. I think I can be a three-weight world champion.”
“We’re not crazy, so we’re not running after a million guys,” Arum said. “We want only quality. Conlan is quality. In the old days, we had to run after people, and now they run to us because of our reputation. They know we know how to build a fighter into a superstar.”