Michael Conlan vs. Kevin Walsh Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Michael Conlan was seriously contemplating retirement after suffering two knockout losses in 2023.

However, in training for a marathon in 2024, the Irish fighter realised he still has goals to pursue in the sweet science. Subsequently, Conlan used 2025 to rebuild, delivering a points win over Asad Asif Khan last March and a fourth-round TKO of Jack Bateson in September.

Now, in trying to make a final push toward a world title opportunity, the 34-year-old Conlan (20-3, 10 KOs) clashes with undefeated American fighter Kevin Walsh (19-0, 10 KOs) at SSE Arena in Belfast, and live on DAZN, tonight.

Will Conlan produce a statement win to extend his winning streak to three and steadily march toward a potential world championship shot? Or will Walsh pull off a sizable upset in Belfast?

DAZN News analyses the Keys to Victory heading into tonight’s matchup.

Michael Conlan’s Keys to Victory

Assert jab

Conlan told DAZN he thought Kevin Walsh would be taller when they faced off earlier in the week. Not only is Conlan taller, but he owns four inches of reach advantage.

Conlan must use that edge to assert his jab — sometimes as a stab to the body, but mostly upstairs — against Walsh.

Doing this successfully will allow him to establish range and dictate the pace of the fight.

Show technical pressure

Whether the jab is clicking for Conlan or not, the Irish fighter would be aided by showing the educated, technical pressure he executes well.

This technical pressure should come in the form of feints, changing of levels and lateral movement from Conlan. He can also look to change stances, from orthodox to southpaw, when he deems it necessary.

Unleash right hand

Conlan is not renowned for his power, but he did knock out Jack Bateson with a raucous right hand back in September. If Conlan sees that his aforementioned tactics of movement are giving Walsh trouble, he ought to patiently wait for the right moment to unleash that right hand with speed and power.

After all, another convincing win could put Conlan one step closer to the world title shot he covets.

Kevin Walsh’s Keys to Victory

Bait Conlan in

Kevin Walsh is already comfortable sitting on the back foot. Against a pressuring Michael Conlan, this tactic could be used to bait the Irish fighter in.

If Conlan is successfully drawn inside, Walsh can look to pepper him with the jab or unload something heavy-handed.

Punch in traffic

In dealing with Conlan’s technical pressure, Walsh could possibly break up the Irish boxer’s fighting flow by punching in traffic. Each blow landed would force Conlan to reset his offense. These counterpunches could also show up well on judges’ scorecards for the American underdog.

Load up on the back foot and launch right hand

Knowing how to operate on the back foot gives Walsh the avenue to load up there and wait for the apt spot to launch the right hand.

If there is a knock on Conlan, it is that he has a suspect chin as all three of his pro losses have come by way of knockout — to Leigh Wood in March 2022, Luis Alberto Lopez in May 2023 and Jordan Gill in December 2023.

Therefore, it only behooves Walsh to test Conlan’s chin with a right hand power shot which would increase his upset chances with each land.

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