Michael Conlan to top stacked Feile card

Boxing looks set to return to Belfast in a BIG way this summer.

Rumour has had Michael Conlan [15(8)-0] topping a Feile card for the second time in his career – and reports today suggest the green light has been given.

There is no official announcement but reporting in the Sunday Life David Kelly revealed the Top Rank star will have a significant fight at The Falls Park as soon as August 7.

Indeed, the clash could be a world title eliminator against a known and well-respected name. It appears the former amateur standout will top the bill in his hometown before returning to America where Top Rank hope to put him into a Winter world title fight.

Conlan will be hoping to be the mandatory challenger for the winner of WBO world champion Stephen Fulton and WBC belt holder Luis Nery with a second Falls Park win.

The fight card would be the first in Belfast since February 1 of 2020 when MTK and Boxing Ireland ran separate shows on the same night in the Ulster Hall and Devenish respectively.

Despite official conformation there has been plenty of undercard talk. Tyrone McKenna has put forward the idea of a fight between him and James Tennyson, suggesting it would be so entertaining it would go down in Belfast boxing folklore.

Padraig McCrory is another who is stands a good chance of appearing. ‘The Hammer’ won the BUI Celtic super middleweight title on the last Feile boxing event in dramatic fashion, stopping Steve Collins Jr in the last round.

MTK’s entire Belfast stable will be desperate to appear on what has the potential to be a TV show, while Luke Keeler could return to the scene of his career best win and Gary Cully would be due back out.

Conlan defeated the self proclaimed ‘Irish Slayer’ Ionut Baluta last time out, outpointing the Romanian on a BT Sports broadcast card.