Michael Conlan handed shot at WBA featherweight title

Former Irish world amateur champion and Olympic bronze medallist Michael Conlan has been given a shot at the World Boxing Association featherweight title in Nottingham in March.

The announcement from promoter Eddie Hearne's Matchroom and streaming service DAZN pitches the Belfast fighter against local favourite Leigh Wood in the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on March 12th.

Conlan is unbeaten since turning professional after the Rio Games in 2016, where his defeat to Russia's Vladimir Nikitin was found to be suspicious in a subsequent McLaren Report which investigated corruption in the sport. Conlan has 15 professional wins to his credit, eight inside the distance.

The 33-year-old Wood will be defending the belt for the first time since producing a 12th-round knockout against former champion Xu Can last summer.

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He has won 25 of his professional fights – 15 inside the distance – but has also suffered two losses.

It has always been Conlan’s ambition to match the amateur world title with a professional belt. He went into Rio as the amateur world champion but turned professional after the Games following the Nikitin decision.