Josh Warrington eyes clash with Michael Conlan

Josh Warrington has sights sets on a compelling showdown with Michael Conlan.

The Leeds fighter appeared to call time on his career as he laid his gloves down in the ring following a defeat to Anthony Cacace, last September, but has vowed to fight on.

That loss was the third on the spin for the 34-year-old, who has not had his hand raised in over three years.

‘The Leeds Warrior’ has the opportunity to get back to winning ways on Saturday night as he battles Asad Asif Khan at the Park Community stadium in Sheffield.

Khan gave Conlan a stern test when the pair met in March. Warrington will hope to win more emphatically than his rival to set the stage for a massive domestic clash later this year.

“It would be lovely,” Warrington said to Boxing News on the prospect of battling the Northern Irishman. “I think our names have been paired for a long time, but it’s never materialised.

“Behind closed doors, it’s been flirted with, but it could happen, he’s a big ticket-seller.

"In boxing fans’ eyes, people might say; ‘They are both in the last-chance salon.’ He brings an entertaining style, he’s always in exciting fights, so why not?”

Like Warrington, Conlan has also lost to Luis Alberto Lopez and Leigh Wood in recent years.

The London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist has not reached the heights expected of him in the professional ranks, having fallen short in word title tilts against the aforementioned pair.

At 33-years-old, it now appears unlikely that Conlan will win the biggest prize in the sport, but a showdown with former two-time IBF featherweight king Warrington represents a lucrative alternative.

Talks between the two parties are progressing well according to Frank Smith of Matchroom Sport, Warrington’s promoter.

“I think that would be a brilliant fight,” Smith told Boxing News. “That’s something we’ve spoken to Wasserman about, who obviously promote Michael Conlan. That’s a fight we’d love to make. Let’s see how things play out. I think [Conlan] fights in May, on a Channel 5 show. We’ll see how he gets on there and go from there.”

Both fighters have large fanbases and a clash between them would likely sell out an arena in either Leeds or Belfast, despite each of them being in the final stages of their respective careers.

If all goes to plan, another big domestic dust-up appears to be on the cards.

John MacDonald

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