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Katie Taylor & Michael Conlan return home for title fights
May is set to be a massive month for Irish fight fans
Irish boxing royalty, Katie Taylor and Michael Conlan are gearing up for two huge title fights on home soil, with the hotly-anticipated bouts taking place in Dublin & Belfast within a week of each other. The pair first captured the hearts of the Irish public with their amateur heroics and continue to captivate the masses on the professional stage.
Katie Taylor v Chantelle Cameron
3Arena | Dublin | 20 May 2023
Widely regarded as the finest female fighter the sport has ever produced, the pound-for-pound queen looks to add the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring light-welterweight titles to her already bustling collection of belts. Expect the roof to come off at the 3Arena as Taylor finally fights in Ireland for the first time in her glittering professional career.
Victory would cement Taylor’s status as an undisputed two-weight world champion. Standing in her way is Northampton native Chantelle Cameron, who like Taylor, is a two-weight world champion with an unblemished professional record. If the pair’s recent fights are anything to go by then the Irish crowd are in for a barnstormer of an affair.
The Irish champion’s finest hour came at a packed Madison Square Garden in April 2022 with victory over undisputed featherweight world champion, Amanda Serrano. Taylor’s metal was tested throughout, especially in the middle rounds where the Puerto Rican landed some heavy blows. Ultimately, Katie’s class and durability shone through as she ran away with the fight in the latter stages with some slick boxing to secure a split-decision victory.
The historic event was the first-ever women’s fight to headline at the famed New York arena. The fight was named “Event Of The Year” by Ring Magazine and “Fight Of The Year” by Sports Illustrated.
The British fighter’s last outing saw her put in an impressive display against fellow world champion Jessica McCaskill. A history maker in her own right, victory in Abu Dabhi saw Cameron become the UK’s first-ever undisputed female champion.
Both women are no strangers to making history, but who will come out on the right side of history on this occasion?
Luis Alberto Lopez v Michael Conlan
The SSE Arena | Belfast | 27 May 2023
Belfast’s favourite son once again steps into the squared circle at Belfast’s biggest arena in a bid to relieve Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez of his IBF Featherweight Title. Conlan looks to capture featherweight gold at the second time of asking after succumbing to Leigh Wood in the dying embers of their 2022 fight-of-the-year contender in Nottingham, a fight in which Conlan dominated for large periods.
Billed as ‘Return Of The Mick’, Conlan’s comeback performance after his war with Wood was an assured one. The Irishman made light work of Miguel Marriaga in front of a raucous hometown crowd with the Colombian tasting the canvas three times on the way to a unanimous decision loss.
Lopez, also know as ‘El Venado’ or ‘The Deer’ should come into the bout brimming with confidence after a recent string of notable victories. Standouts include wins over Tyson Fury stablemate Isaac Lowe and his title-securing success against two-time world champion Josh Warrington in Leeds.
Conlan is fighting in his hometown of Belfast for the third time in a row…Will it be third time lucky? Or will Lopez once again prevail in his opponent’s backyard?
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