Conor Quinn tastes defeat for the first time as a professional
Belfast’s Conor Quinn tasted defeat for the first time as a professional at the SSE Arena on Friday evening, June 28, as he lost on a majority decision to England’s Conner Kelsall in their crossroads Commonwealth flyweight title fight.
The 25-year-old Doncaster man, ‘King’ Kelsall, came through on two of the cards (116-112, 115-114) in Belfast with one giving 114-114 even, to leave the home support stunned.
It was a tactical battle between the pair as the visitor had the fight more on his terms not allowing the Belfast boxer to apply any sustained pressure, perhaps his tactics that were not exactly set for a thriller winning the day.
He applied constant movement with fine footwork and was good off the jab, with Quinn unable to fully gather a head of steam.
Kelsall made the brighter start, circling and letting the jab go as Quinn seemed content to take the centre of the ring and take a look, shooting the jab to the body.
Again, the visitor was up on his toes and throwing the fast jab in the second, bringing the right into play but the Belfast man began to open up and show a little more variety as he was settling into it.
There were just a few signs Quinn was starting to solve the puzzle in the third, a whisker away from a looping right early and his stiff jab snapping Kelsall’s head back.
With Kelsall circling to his left, Quinn timed a right to greet him and this was exactly what he seemed to have been scheming, gradually closing the distance without falling into the trap of chasing the Englishman.
Earlier in the night, Belfast’s Colm Murphy claimed the ‘silver’ Commonwealth featherweight title as a bloodied Jack Turner was stopped in the 10th and final round on cuts.
Another native from the south of the city, James McGivern, produced a KO of the year contender as he flattened previously undefeated Rashid Omar in the second with a beauty of a left to retain his BUI Celtic lightweight title and improve to 9-0.
In the co-main event, Pierce O’Leary was at his brilliant best to win the battle of Dublin, dropping Darragh Foley in the third with an uppercut en route to a shutout points win. Australia-based Foley was all heart, but just could not match ‘Big Bang’, who is now perfect through 15.