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Michael Conlan and Miguel Marriaga will fight on August 6 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. BBC Sports reported that the fight will take place at the SSE Arena as part of the Feile an Phobail Festival.
The Feile an Phobail Festival is a celebration of Irish culture which has been held in Belfast since 1998.
The fight will be Conlan's first time in the ring since his knockout loss to Leigh Wood in March. Prior to that, he beat TJ Doheny in Belfast in 2021. Marriaga most recently fought Eduardo Ramirez in 2021, a bout he lost via unanimous decision. He has previously been in the ring with the likes of Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oscar Valdez.
Marriaga currently has a record of 30-5, while Conlan has a record of 16-1. The Irishman is five years younger than his opponent, who turned professional in 2009. Both men have won regional and international titles.
Michael Conlan vs. Leigh Wood
Michael Conlan and Leigh Wood fought a tough bout in Nottingham, England, in March this year. Conlan had control early on; he knocked the Englishman down in the first round and retained dominance for most of the fight. However, Wood began to turn the tides in the 11th and ended the 12th with a tremendous blow, which sent Conlan out of the ring.
The fight was Michael Conlan's first career loss. He famously lost a decision at the 2016 Olympics, which was later proven to be the result of corruption. In 2019, he fought the same man, Vladimir Nikitin, on the professional stage, where he won the bout by unanimous decision.
Last month, Michael Conlan took to social media to announce his return to the gym following a strong recovery from the knockout. The fight between him and Marriaga announced today will likely be treated as something of a warm-up bout before he wades back into the division's deeper waters. That being said, Marriaga is a tough fighter and will not give the Irishman an easy bout.
Check out the HBO highlights of Miguel Marriaga vs. Nicholas Walters here:
