Ireland’s Michael Conlan is set to compete in front of a hostile crowd this Saturday as he challenges Leigh Wood for the WBA featherweight title in Nottingham.
The headline bout marks Wood’s first defence of the strap he took from Can Xu last July, while the undefeated Conlan (16-0, 8 knockouts) won the interim belt by beating TJ Doheny on points in August.
Nottingham fighter Wood (25-2, 15 KOs) comes into this contest on a two-fight winning streak, having last suffered a loss in 2020, when he was on the wrong end of a majority decision against James Dickens. Both of his recent victories were achieved via TKO, however, so the 33-year-old will enter this weekend’s clash high on confidence.
Conlan, 30, will represent a tough test for Wood, though, as the Olympic bronze medalist looks to win the biggest title of his pro career. “I’m going to destroy you, beat you to a pulp in your home city,” Conlan told Wood at the weigh-in, with the Englishman calling his challenger a “skinny rat” in response.
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s card. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
When is it?
The fights will take place on Saturday 12 March at the Nottingham Arena.
The main card is set to begin at 7pm GMT, with the ring walks for the main event expected to take place at approximately 10pm.
How can I watch it?
The fights will be streamed live on DAZN.
The subscription service is available for £7.99 per month.
Odds
Wood – 7/5
Conlan – 8/15
Draw – 20/1
Full card
Leigh Wood vs Michael Conlan (WBA featherweight title)
Gary Cully vs Miguel Vazquez (lightweight)
Terri Harper vs Yamila Belen Abellaneda (women’s lightweight)
Caoimhin Agyarko vs Juan Carlos Rubio (middleweight)
Sandy Ryan vs Erica Anabella Farias (super-lightweight)
Thomas Whittaker Hart vs Simon Krebs (light-heavyweight)
Thomas Carty vs Michal Boloz (heavyweight)
Nico Leivars vs Jose Hernandez (featherweight)
