Sport

Michael Conlan has to fight fire with fire to beat Olympic Games nemesis Vladimir Nikitin at Madison Square Garden says coach Adam Booth

Michael Conlan has to fight fire with fire to beat OLympic Games nemesis Vladimir Nikitin at Madison Square Garden says coach Adam Booth (left)
Michael Conlan has to fight fire with fire to beat OLympic Games nemesis Vladimir Nikitin at Madison Square Garden says coach Adam Booth (left) Michael Conlan has to fight fire with fire to beat OLympic Games nemesis Vladimir Nikitin at Madison Square Garden says coach Adam Booth (left)

MICHAEL Conlan will have to fight fire with fire to beat Olympic nemesis Vladimir Nikitin at the third attempt at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, says coach Adam Booth.

Conlan lost to the aggressive Russian at the World Championships in 2013 and then at the Olympic Games in Brazil three years later. Nikitin won silver and bronze respectively at those tournaments and Conlan is determined to avenge both losses at the world famous New York boxing Mecca.

After Rio, Nikitin followed Conlan into the pros and Booth says this weekend’s definitive third meeting promises to be “a proper fight” between the slugger and the boxer.

“It’s the type of fight you know isn’t going to be a clean, sterile, punch-picking boxing match,” said the London-based coach.

“It’s not going to be that because if you try and do that against somebody like Nikitin, sometimes you’re going to get drowned. You are going to have to meet fire with fire sometimes and this fight is going to be a combination of both, some clean boxing and some meeting fire with fire.

“It’s a real fight and as a coach or a fighter if you don’t lust for being involved in proper fights like this then you are in the wrong sport. We’re not interested in easy wins, we’re interested in wins that actually mean something.”

Nikitin was expected to be Conlan’s opponent at the Feile an Phobail fight night in Belfast’s Falls Park in August. He withdrew from that bill because of injury and Conlan stopped Diego Alberto Ruiz to win WBO and WBA ranking belts in his absence.

Booth says that the prospect of facing his old rival has given Conlan “a new level of focus” in the gym.

“It has allowed us to work on aspects of his game that he hasn’t really worked on and because it has gone on for quite a long time he has just got better and better at certain aspects of his fighting game that he hasn’t really used in the past,” he said.

“I’m actually thankful for Nikitin because he has provoked Michael from taking his student life as a pro fighter to a new level.

“I’ve spoken to Michael about the two losses in the amateurs and he wasn’t in great form for the first fight and Nikitin won it. But Michael won the second fight. He was dominant in the first round but when he found out that the judges had scored against him he realised he was going to go out on his own terms.

“He knew they were going to screw him with the scoring so he thought: ‘Right, I’m just going to let him know I can out-fight him’ and he did.”

Since making his professional debut last year, Nikitin has moved to 3-0 which is nothing to write home about for such a highly-decorated amateur star. All three victories came on points but in each of those fights he showcased the ferocious attacking style – swinging in booming right hands over his opponents’ guard followed by left hooks to the body – that makes him such a dangerous customer.

“He can’t box with Michael so he has to get involved in a slug-fest with him,” says Booth.

“He really is just a high-energy slugger; that’s what he is. He swings them in, he was a high grade amateur and he is very physical, he has a physicality about him and a strong workrate and that’s good.

“It’s not a tea-party this one, it’s a proper fight and it doesn’t matter that he’s only had three pro fights, the bottom line is that him and Michael have shared the ring twice and – regardless of any injustice – he has walked away with the decision both times.

“It has been perfect fuel for Michael to keep developing as a fighter.”