Michael Conlan will fight for the WBA world featherweight title.
Promotor Eddie Hearn has announced via Twitter that Matchroom Boxing have won the purse bids to stage the world title fight between Michael Conlan and Leigh Wood.
Conlan is just fresh off a career-best performance against fellow Irishman TJ Doherty, that took place in the Falls Park earlier this summer.
Wood was a surprise winner of the WBA belt after knocking out Can Xu in a dominant display in July.
With both fighters in fierce form, it promises to be an exciting bout. The Belfast brawler will put his undefeated record on the line against the Nottingham native’s impressive run of 25 victories and only two defeats.
Delighted to win the purse bid for our Champ @itsLeighWood to defend his WBA World title against @mickconlan11 – official announcement coming soon 👌@DAZNBoxing 🔥
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) November 1, 2021
Michael Conlan v Leigh Wood: The location of the world title fight and where to watch it.
Hearn had previously said New York and Belfast were possible locations for the fight, while Wood’s hometown of Nottingham is also very much in contention.
Conlan has spent much of their career in the states, as he works under the careful eye of promoter Bob Arum, the American veteran who promoted legends such as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
However, for Irish fans at least, a big Belfast night is just what they are crying out for, especially since Carl Frampton’s retirement has put a temporary stop to world title fights in the northern capital.
The showdown will be aired on DAZN, the new boxing streaming service that has recently launched in the UK after a successful debut in the United States.
Michael Conlan’s Olympic controversy to be left in the past.
Despite being a silky switch-hitter, comfortable in fighting both stances, and capable of coming forward when the fight gets tough, or boxing from range in a technical duel, there’s no denying that Conlan is primarily known as a victim of an Olympic boxing scandal.
In 2016, the 29-year-old seemed to have comfortably secured a bronze medal, beating his opponent Vladimir Nikitin, in a one-sided affair.
However, much to everyone’s disbelief, the judges awarded the victory to the Russian, and Conlan exited the tournament in outrage, flipping the bird to the officials and branding them all as “cheats.”
The Irishman was vindicated just a couple of weeks ago when an investigation proved that there was corruption involved in that particular bout and that the outcome should have been different.
Regardless of the past, the 2012 Olympic medalist just wants to focus on the future, and achieve his dream of winning a world title, and righting the wrongs that have hampered his legacy as a champion.
