Barnes and Conlan in WSB action this weekend

Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan will line out for Italia Thunder away to the Baku Fires in the opening weekend in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) in Baku, Azerbaijan this Saturday.

The Belfast duo are in against Magomed Ibiyev and Magomed Gurbanov in the light-fly and bantamweight classes.

Click here for program. Boxing begins at 3pm (Irish time).

WSB bouts are over five, three minute rounds. Seventeen Olympic places are up for grabs across the ten weight classes in the WSB this season

One Olympic place is available for light-flyweights, heavyweights and super-heavyweights. Two Olympic berths are available to all the other weight classes in the WSB.

Rio2016QualificationSystem-Boxing

Galway heavyweight Gary Sweeney and Tipperary super-heavy Dean Gardiner will line out for the Mexico Guerreros and Ballymena middleweight Steven Donnelly for the Hussars of Poland in the WSB this season.