Former WBA interim featherweight champion Michael Conlan has left his promoter Top Rank and signed a deal with Matchroom that will immediately see him engage in a pivotal non-title bout with British featherweight contender Jordan Gill. Conlan, who hails from Northern Ireland, will be facing Gill in his home country at the SSE Arena in Belfast.
Michael Conlan (18-2, 9 KO’s) has had a notable career where he missed out on becoming a world champion twice, losing twice in world title fights that also saw him getting stopped in the process. His last fight on May 27th saw him face IBF featherweight champion Luis Lopez (29-2, 16 KO’s) in a losing effort, which ended with him being stopped in the fifth round.
Conlan’s next slated opponent, Jordan Gill (27-2-1, 8 KO’s), is a significant upgrade from the opponent he was expected to face after his second career loss. Gill has never fought for a world title but has consistently ranked among the top contenders in the sanctioning bodies’ rankings for several years. Like Conlan, he too suffered a stoppage loss in his last fight after being defeated by the now-retired Kiko Martinez in just the fourth round.
With both fighters now on a path of redemption, they face a formidable challenge in each other that threatens to significantly impact the career of the loser, while potentially putting the winner back in the race for world title contention at featherweight.
In addition to switching promotions from Top Rank to Matchroom, Conlan has also revealed that he has changed coaching teams and will be under the tutelage of Cuban-American boxing coach Pedro Diaz.
“I’m delighted to be coming back to the SSE Arena Belfast with Matchroom Boxing and a new coaching team,” Conlan told Matchroom Boxing.
“I’ve had many great nights here and I’m looking forward to creating more. Jordan is a good fighter, but he’s standing in my way of where I want to go. December 2nd will be a fantastic night of boxing, and I can’t wait to see you all there.”
The non-title sanctioned bout is set to take place on December 2nd at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is considered a territory of the United Kingdom.
