It is often said that a change is as good as a rest.

Tonight, a revamped Michael Conlan returns to the ring after a 14 month lay-off and starts the climb towards another world title challenge.

Conlan, 18-3 (9 KOs), will fight India’s Asad Asif Khan, 19-5-1 (5 KOs), on the undercard of the welterweight fight between Harlem Eubank and Tyrone McKenna. The eight round featherweight contest will be broadcast by Channel 5 in the UK.

After an unsuccessful foray up to super featherweight resulted in a disappointingly sluggish stoppage loss to Jordan Gill in December 2023, two-time world title challenger, Conlan stepped away from the sport he had dedicated his life to since the age of seven.

Slowly but surely, he found his way back.

The Belfast man parted ways with his trainer, Pedro Diaz, and set about finding a coach who could help him find the fleet footwork that once made him so successful. He also decided to drop back down to 126lbs.

Conlan has entrusted this stage of his career to Grant Smith and has quickly become part of the team at the successful Steel City Gym in Sheffield. After spending so much time working on an almost one-to-one basis with Diaz, the 33 year-old has enjoyed once again being part of a bustling, busy gym and the lively atmosphere has helped him to remember what he enjoyed about boxing in the first place.

“A hundred percent. You know, why have I always been so highly rated? My boxing skill?What have I been doing in my last few fights? Going to war,” he told The Ring.

“Why? I don't need to. I can use my skills.

“We're back to doing what I do best and using my skill set. Hit and not get hit, the smartest way to box. The simple basic of boxing is to hit and don't get hit, you know what I mean? I have approached every single spar to just go and have fun.”

After shouldering the expectation that it was just a matter of time before he won a world title for so long, Conlan is now fighting for himself. He still works to the same high standards he always has but that lack of outside pressure has lightened his load and has helped him to rediscover himself in the ring.

Conlan should beat Khan on Friday night but the manner in which he goes about it should prove interesting. If Conlan can find his flow and transfer his sparring form into the ring, he could yet prove more than a handful for the world’s best 126lbers.

“When I'm sparring, I'm talking s—t and I'm laughing and I'm sticking my tongue out and making faces and dancing but I also do my job at the same time, you know what I mean? So I'm just enjoying it again,” he said.

“Let's just go and have fun. No pressure, just go and enjoy yourself. Obviously, work on what you need to work on - and I am doing that at the same time. - but sometimes if you watch me sparring, you're probably going, ‘He's a c—t.'

“You'd probably be thinking that at times because of how much of an annoyance I can be to an opponent.

“Obviously, you're not going to talk s—t and no fights, I’m just going to go in and enjoy myself and get the job done.”