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Opponent revealed for Mick Conlan’s fight on Linares-Lomachenko undercard


The opponent for Mick Conlan‘s debut in the big room at Madison Square Garden has been revealed.

Less than two months on from topping his second successive St Patrick’s Day card in The Theater downstairs, Conlan [6(5)-0] returns to the famous New York venue for a prominent undercard role for Vasyl Lomachenko’s challenge of WBC lightweight champion Jorge Linares on Saturday May 12th, live on ESPN.

In what will be his second fight under new coach Adam Booth, the Belfast featherweight will take on Spaniard Ibon Larrinaga [10(2)-1(1)] over eight rounds in what looks to be a good test.

Hailing from the Basque Region in Northern Spain 27-year-old Larrinaga turned pro back in 2016 and built a 7-0 record before going on the road and upsetting undefeated Frenchman Georges Leroy to claim the WBC Mediterranean super bantamweight title. He would subsequently lose the rankings belt to countryman Aritz Pardal in December and has since moved up in weight, scoring a win last month in Bilbao.

While it would be remiss to describe the fight as a massive step up for 26-year old double Olympian Conlan, Larrinaga represents a solid match-up for the Falls Road man ahead of his big Belfast homecoming card tentatively set for this Summer.

The Irish fighter has been kept busy since turning pro with Top Rank and this will be his seventh fight in under 14 months, a desirable pace for any prospect.

Also featuring on the bill in four-and-a-half week’s time will be Carlos Adames, Teofimo Lopez, Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, Jamel Herring, and Katie Taylor rival Mikaela Mayer.

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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