Mick Conlan secures medal at World Boxing Championship and writes his name in Irish history

This is a special talent.

At just 23, Michael Conlan is almost all-conquering already. The Belfast boxer put on a masterclass display in Doha on Saturday evening to punch and weave his way to a World Championship medal as he stormed into the semi finals. Conlan, a bantamweight, comfortably saw off Azerbaijan opponent Tayfur Aliyev, winning all three rounds unanimously to ensure he returns to Ireland with at least a bronze medal and a very special national record under his arm too. Conlan, who won bronze in the London Olympics back in 2012, clinched gold in the Commonwealth Games just last year but, now that he is also guaranteed a Worlds' bronze, he has become the first ever Irish boxer to medal at Olympic, Commonwealth and World championships. And Paddy Barnes isn't one bit pleased... https://twitter.com/paddyb_ireland/status/652835941908881409 Okay, okay, he genuinely was impressed. https://twitter.com/paddyb_ireland/status/652828436709380096 Conlan has already qualified for the Olympics in Rio next summer but you get the sense that, with his aging maturity, his success at the Commonwealths and now a semi final at the World Championships to prepare for, he is gearing up for Brazil perfectly. And the fans that followed him to Qatar will be roaring him on to more than a bronze maybe yet.