‘He turned it down’ – American contender says Michael Conlan blocked possible fight

Adam Lopez is going to get the mega phone out and scream for a Michael Conlan fight if he wins in Las Vegas tonight after accussing the Belfast man of ducking him.

The Californian contender faces former world champion Isac Dogboe on the undercard for Naoya Inoue vs Michael Dasmarinas on a Top Rank bill.

He claims when signing to fight to the former bantamweight titlist he was assured the winner would get a shot at the Top Rank star.

However the American accusses Conlan of stopping the plan from coming to fruition much to his disapointment.

“Before we signed this fight Top Rank said: ‘The winner gets to fight Conlan,'” Lopez told Sky Sports.

“We started putting in the contract, we get Conlan after this, and they went to Conlan to see if he would be open to that and he turned it down.

“It’s kind of disappointing. A young fighter like himself, like myself. That’s what boxing needs, the young fighters to step up to the plate and take on those big fights, the risky fights,” had adds before revealing he will call out the Olympic medal winner after tonight.

“I’m going to say his name as much as I can and hopefully it wakes him up, it brings him to the table and the time to take the fight.”

Lopez presumes Conlan felt he was a high risk low reward fight but in truth it’s more likely the Adam Booth trained fighter doesn’t want to be tied down going into the second half of next year.

The younger brother of former world title challenger Jamie Conlan is hoping to cement WBO world title mandatory status with victory over a former world champion on the Feile card come August 6.

The super bantamweight name, who did agree to fight Dogboe last year before injury struck, is hopeful a win will secure him a shot at the winner of Stephen Fulton and Brandon Figueroa’s WBO and WBC’s world title unification fight.

“That’s the fight I wanted after this fight. If he doesn’t want it, then I can’t force him, unless I get a world title or something. Let’s keep working for that title, and hopefully, one day when I do get that title, he will step up and fight.”

“Maybe it’s a higher risk and my name is not big enough, or whatever the case is. But I know one thing, if I get to that world title, there is no reason for them to turn it down.”