Irish boxer speaks about prayer and Rosary tattoo

A professional Irish boxer has revealed he regularly prays before fights and that he had Rosary beads tattooed on his neck so he’ll never lose them.

Well-known boxer Michael Conlan, from Belfast, was speaking on RTÉ’s The Tommy Tiernan Show when he revealed the story behind his tattoo.

“I always prayed before a fight but I could never bring the Rosary beads in with me so I just decided one day I’ll get them tattooed on me so it saves me having to carry them all the time and losing beads, you know what I mean?” he said.

Confident

When asked what he prayed, Mr Conlon said “three Our Fathers, two Hail Mary and hope to God that I’m going to win”. He admitted when he had done a lot of training and felt more confident he would just stick with the Our Fathers.

He added: “If I’m praying, I don’t pray for the win, I just pray for the safety of me and the opponent, whether it’s him winning or me losing, or me winning, as long as we both come out safe I’m happy.”

During his amateur career Conlon was one of Ireland’s most successful boxers, receiving a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and a gold at the 2015 World Championships among many other wins in major competitions. He decided to go professional after the 2016 Olympics and is enjoying a successful career.