MICHAEL CONLAN has named what he describes as the fight he would “love” as he continues his quest to become a world champion.
The 33-year-old made it two wins in a row in his last outing against Jack Bateson. Their featherweight matchup at the 3Arena in Dublin ended with Conlan scoring his first stoppage win since December 2022. Victory earned him the WBC International belt and a spot at number 11 in the sanctioning body’s world rankings.
WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton, 23-1 (8 KOs), is putting business at 126lbs on hold to challenge O’Shaquie Foster for the WBC super-featherweight title on the Sebastian Fundora-Keith Thurman undercard on October 25 in Las Vegas.
Speaking to Irish Boxing, Conlan, 20-3 (10 KOs), revealed that while an offer has been sent to former IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington, his ideal fight would be in America.
“Fulton is the fight I’d love at featherweight,” Conlan said. “If he doesn’t move up, a big fight in New York with the Irish and Philadelphia crowd would be fantastic.”
Should Fulton beat Foster next month, the WBC will have to decide what to do with a champion holding two of their world titles at different weights. If the WBC featherweight belt becomes vacant, number one contender Nathaniel Collins – another name linked to Conlan – would be in the running to contest it.
The Wasserman fighter has been unsuccessful in two world title attempts so far. His thrilling battle with Leigh Wood for the WBA strap in Nottingham in 2022 ended dramatically with the Belfast challenger knocked out of the ring in the 12th round. One year later, Conlan’s challenge for the IBF version ended in a fifth-round stoppage at the hands of hard-hitting Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez.
While Conlan would love another trip Stateside, he made it clear that after victory over Bateson in Dublin, the Irish capital is his preferred setting for what comes next.
“I want it to be Dublin – that’s the main place I want to fight now,” he explained. “There’s a possibility of December, but if not, [St] Paddy’s Day. One of those two dates it will be.”
