Doheny and Conlon go the distance but Portlaoise man comes up short
Portlaoise native TJ Doheny tasted defeat on Friday night as the all Ireland WBA Interim featherweight between the Portlaoise powerhouse and Michael Conlon went the distance.
Fomer Olympian Conlon deserved his win but Doheny went down with his boots on in the unanimous victory for the Belfast fighter in Falls Park, Belfast.
One judge scored it 119-108, with two others marking it 116-111 in favour of the unbeaten Conlon who stretches his record to 16-0.
Conlon controlled the fight and a strong punch in the fifth round really hurt Doheny spelling the beginning of the end.
There was no quit in the Portlaoise man and former World Champion as he did all he could to get back in the fight but Conlon was all to wise to his comeback attempts.
The final round saw Doheny go for broke as the 8,000 strong attendance really brought an added sense of atmosphere to the occasion but in the end, there was only one winner while Doheny left the ring with his head held high after an energy sapping performance.