Michael Conlan loves nothing more than fighting at home.
And according to reports, Conlan will get the opportunity to do just that in August as Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is expected to travel to Belfast next week to announce that Conlan will be competing at Falls Park in West Belfast in three months’ time.
The Irish News report that Arum will personally make the trip to hype up the fight and reveal Conlan’s opponent, who is rumoured to be his former Olympic rival Vladimir Nikitin.
Nikitin claimed a controversial decision over Conlan at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and now that the pair are both promoted by Top Rank, it’s entirely possible that a score-settler is set up in the pro ranks.
"All judges involved in that fight should be suspended" – Bernard Dunne hits out after Michael Conlan exits #Rio2016 https://t.co/Iv1MT6be9e
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 16, 2016
Conlan immediately turned professional after his now-infamous rant about the state of amateur boxing following his defeat to Nikitin and the undefeated 27-year-old has previously discussed his keenness to exact revenge against his Russian rival.
Having fought in Belfast as a professional on just one occasion in the past, Conlan is eager to return to home territory before the summer is out.
“It’s always been a dream for me to box somewhere like Casement Park or Croke Park but the nearest thing to Casement for me is the Falls Park,” Conlan told the Irish News.
“I never thought it would have been possible but thanks to Feile, MTK and Top Rank for putting together this fantastic event. It’s going to be unbelievable.”
https://twitter.com/FeileBelfast/status/1125747118529032193
Féile an Phobail is expected to host Conlan’s next homecoming and while he was initially preparing for another defence of his WBO Inter-Continental featherweight title in June, he has now abandoned those plans in order to concentrate on his fight in Falls Park.
