Conwell dropped a split decision last time out in April 2025 against Jorge Garcia, who immediately leveraged the win to secure a fight with Xander Zayas he lost three months later for the vacant WBO title. Conwell (21-1, 16 KOs) has been stuck on the sidelines ever since, but he’ll return Saturday night against a familiar foe from the amateurs and former Team USA teammate Paul Kroll (12-0-2, 8 KOs) on the Lamont Roach-William Zepeda undercard at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

“That wasn’t the best night for me against Perez,” Conwell told The Ring. “Nobody likes losing. I was sad at first. After a while, I just reflected on what could have been better, where I messed up, and just went 10 times as hard. It’s nothing to it but just to get back on that horse and go again. I know I’m one of the best fighters in the world. I know I’m the top of my class and I just have to go out there and prove it. The first thing is to get back to my winning ways. That’s the thing I’ve been focused on.”

Conwell was riding a massive wave of momentum before meeting Perez. The 28-year-old Cleveland native got his promotional and managerial situation straightened out by signing with Golden Boy and Wise Owl Boxing and stopped three opponents in 2024.

Conwell was also inching ever so close toward a title shot. He was ranked No. 9 by The Ring at 154 pounds and rated No. 2 by the WBO, No. 3 by the WBC and No. 14 by the IBF. But after losing to Garcia, the only top-15 ranking Conwell is left with is No. 9 with the WBO.

A reflective Conwell admitted that he committed one of boxing’s cardinal sins by overlooking Garcia (34-5, 27 KOs), an unknown commodity from Mexico who fought for just the second time in the United States.

“I looked past [Garcia], and [Garcia] was ready for his life-changing moment,” Conwell said. “I thought it was just like another fight for me and I was looking at what was next. So now, I’m not looking past any fight or fighter. I’m training like every fight is a world title fight and have to focus on what’s in front of me.”

Kroll and Conwell sparred against each other many times when they were amateurs. Conwell also beat Kroll in the 165-pound final at the 2015 National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.

Conwell later became the 165-pound representative on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team. Kroll was Team USA’s 152-pound representative, but he didn’t qualify for the Summer Olympics that year in Rio de Janeiro.

“We basically grew up as amateurs on Team USA together,” Conwell said. “I would describe our relationship as cordial. We’d always catch up whenever we’d see each other, but now it’s time to fight.”

Conwell confirmed he is entirely prepared for Kroll to come with the same hunger and upset-minded vigor as Perez. Kroll has fought only once since December 2023, a second-round knockout win against Antoni Armas in March 2025.

“Paul Kroll has always been tough and crafty,” Conwell said. “He has the Philly grit and amateur experience. We’ve both been inactive and are coming in off long layoffs. To beat the ring rust, I am putting in the work in the gym.”

Conwell said he kept busy since his last bout by serving as Devin Haney’s chief sparring partner for Haney’s victory over former WBO welterweight champ Brian Norman Jr. on November 22. Conwell also opened his own boxing gym, Team Tuff Combat and Fitness, in Cleveland, and has been keeping busy in his own compound.

“I’ve been training since March and pushing myself to the limit,” Conwell said. “There have been days I’ve been tired as a dog and throwing up from my hard workouts. With the Perez camp, I wasn’t in the best shape that I could have been. I didn’t have a second wind and that extra push. I’ve been going the extra mile this time around to get to where I need to be, so stuff like that never happens again.

“It’s about moving forward. I don’t dwell on the past. I just learn from my mistakes and keep going forward. I’m just going to show with a great performance that I'm still one of the best guys in the division, and separate myself to put me right back in the position where I was before.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.