BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- It will be a hometown fight for rising star Michael Conlan (7-0, 5 KOs) on June 30. The fight, which will stream on ESPN+, will pit Conland against Brazilian puncher Adeilson Dos Santos (19-4, 15 KOs). The bout will take place in the featherweight division and is scheduled to go 10 rounds.
Offensively Conlan is a scary fighter. Not only does he have fast hands and good pop on his punches but he can also switch from orthodox to southpaw with ease. As an orthodox fighter Conlan has show a quality jab, along with a good left hook and hard right hand. When he switches to the southpaw stance Conlan shows an excellent right hook and a very skilled left hand. While he hasn't really had his chin checked yet, Conlan looks like the type of fighter whose offense is his defense and he should look to use his jab more as his career progresses.
Fans around the world first took notice of Conlan after he won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. He was then a favorite to win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics before a terrible decision by the judges derailed his medal hopes. Following the loss Conlan went on a expletive filled rant that really helped raise his profile worldwide. As a pro Conlan has been perfect and after signing with Top Rank he has been brought along at a nice pace. Top Rank knows how to build stars and they are currently building one in Conlan. Against Dos Santos, Conlan will be facing his heaviest hitting opponent as a pro and can't afford a loss to an opponent who isn't perceived as much of a threat.
Dos Santos is also an orthodox fighter who will sometimes switch to the southpaw stance, although he doesn't do it as smoothly as Conlan does. He has a pawing jab and tends to leave his chin exposed and he doesn't like pressure fighters who make him fight off his back foot. Dos Santos is also the type of fighter who tends to let his opponent finish throwing punches before going to work himself. The best weapon Dos Santos has is probably his left hook but nothing he does is highly skilled and he could be in way over his head against Conlan.
Despite being the same age as Conlan, both being 26 years old, Dos Santos turned pro five years before his dance partner on Saturday night. Most of his career has been spent fighting relatively unknown fighters in his native Brazil, but he does have some notable names on his resume. In 2014 Dos Santos took on Kid Galahad, losing a wide unanimous decision, and in 2017 he challenged Jessie Magdaleno for his WBO junior featherweight world title, getting knocked out in the second round. Since that loss Dos Santos has fought twice, going 1-1 with one knockout but he is fresh off a loss in April.
At this point in Conlan's career he isn't being matched up against anyone too dangerous. Top Rank knows they have a future star in Conlan and they are a promotional company who knows how to build stars. Dos Santos will probably look to make this a rough inside fight considering he doesn't have the same type of boxing skills as Conlan does. Look for Conlan to be his typical aggressive self, switching stances and putting a hurting on Dos Santos who doesn't handle aggressive fighters well at all.
PREDICTION: This fight is going to be all Michael Conlan. Adeilson Dos Santos does have some pop on his punches but he's simply not at the same level as Conlan. Conlan will get off to a fast start and never slow down on his way to a fifth round stoppage victory.
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| Conlan celebrating a victory on Saint Patrick's Day |
Fans around the world first took notice of Conlan after he won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. He was then a favorite to win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics before a terrible decision by the judges derailed his medal hopes. Following the loss Conlan went on a expletive filled rant that really helped raise his profile worldwide. As a pro Conlan has been perfect and after signing with Top Rank he has been brought along at a nice pace. Top Rank knows how to build stars and they are currently building one in Conlan. Against Dos Santos, Conlan will be facing his heaviest hitting opponent as a pro and can't afford a loss to an opponent who isn't perceived as much of a threat.
Dos Santos is also an orthodox fighter who will sometimes switch to the southpaw stance, although he doesn't do it as smoothly as Conlan does. He has a pawing jab and tends to leave his chin exposed and he doesn't like pressure fighters who make him fight off his back foot. Dos Santos is also the type of fighter who tends to let his opponent finish throwing punches before going to work himself. The best weapon Dos Santos has is probably his left hook but nothing he does is highly skilled and he could be in way over his head against Conlan.
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| Dos Santos being tagged by Jessie Magdaleno |
At this point in Conlan's career he isn't being matched up against anyone too dangerous. Top Rank knows they have a future star in Conlan and they are a promotional company who knows how to build stars. Dos Santos will probably look to make this a rough inside fight considering he doesn't have the same type of boxing skills as Conlan does. Look for Conlan to be his typical aggressive self, switching stances and putting a hurting on Dos Santos who doesn't handle aggressive fighters well at all.
PREDICTION: This fight is going to be all Michael Conlan. Adeilson Dos Santos does have some pop on his punches but he's simply not at the same level as Conlan. Conlan will get off to a fast start and never slow down on his way to a fifth round stoppage victory.
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