At a glance, a lot about this week is familiar to Michael Conlan. Another big fight and another chance to be the headline act in Belfast, this time against England’s Jordan Gill.

But this week, in more ways than one, is new to him. For the first time, he will fight after having seriously contemplated retirement in the wake of his devastating knockout loss to Luis Alberto Lopez in May.

Stopped in the fifth round by Lopez, Conlan questioned his future after his second bid for a world title ended in pain.

The first was a real hammer blow. He had gone toe-to-toe with Leigh Wood in a blockbuster and looked to be heading for a memorable win before a brutal blow from the Englishman sent Conlan – and his world title dream – crashing through the ropes.

To his credit, Conlan secured Belfast wins over Miguel Marriaga and Karim Guerfi – the latter a blistering first-round knockout – to earn another shot at a belt. Lopez, however, had no time for his comeback arc and plunged the Olympic bronze medallist’s career into darkness with a classy display.

Conlan has since said he had to think long and hard before deciding to give it another go. Six months later, here he is. He has a new trainer and has moved up to super-featherweight for Saturday night’s contest.

All the fight-week noises from the Conlan camp have been upbeat and it seems he is energised by a reset that saw him swap out trainer Adam Booth for Pedro Diaz and link up with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom for this fight after leaving Top Rank.

And Conlan has this week repeatedly said this is the first time he has looked forward to the “fight itself” – a striking insight into his frame of mind prior to previous bouts.

Although he is not prepared to say as much in the days leading up to facing Gill, defeat on Saturday could sound the death knell on his career.

“I think I’ve shown my level and my skill-set and how high I can actually go,” he told BBC Sport Northern Ireland earlier this week.

“I know I’m a world champion, it’s just a matter of time. Everything happens for a reason.

“These losses, they all happen for a reason. It wasn’t my time as hard as it was to take. But now I feel like I’m on the right track and have the right people and team around me. I’ll get there.”

Gill ‘looking forward to beating’ Conlan

While this is certainly a key juncture in Conlan’s career, Gill promises to offer a stiff assessment of the Belfast fighter’s credentials with the 29-year-old Englishman also harbouring world-title ambitions.

Like Conlan, Gill is also coming off a defeat – the second of his career – having been outclassed by veteran Spaniard Kiko Martinez in October 2022.

But for Gill, Saturday presents a tantalising opportunity to emulate Lopez’s SSE Arena-silencing display and take a huge step towards achieving his dream.

“Massive,” Gill said when asked how big Saturday could be in shaping his future.

“You get into the game to become world champion. Mick’s fallen short twice and I think beating Mick on Saturday should give me a world-title shot because he’s at that level, he’s a world-class fighter.”

Gill, who like Conlan weighed in at 9st 3.5lb (58.7kg), added: “I’m looking forward to beating him and getting my shot at a world title.”

Gill is good friends with Wood but bears little resemblance to him stylistically. While Gill is unsure what changes Diaz will bring to Conlan’s fighting style, he feels as though the Belfast man’s losses to Wood and Lopez may determine how Conlan approaches Saturday’s bout.

He said: “I think that demons from both of his losses will be playing on his head and the pressure that knowing this is a must-win fight for him, that might make him tense up a little bit.”

Whether that proves to be the case remains to be seen, but whatever happens, it should be an entertaining night in Belfast with Tyrone McKenna and Lewis Crocker facing off in a welterweight bout after exchanging barbs all week and Caoimhin Agyarko taking on Troy Williamson – between whom there also seems to be no love lost – on the undercard.