Mobile Home | Desktop Version




SATURDAY: Luis Alberto Lopez-Michael Conlan Featherweight World Title Showdown Headlines Belfast Fight Night at The SSE Arena LIVE on ESPN+

PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 25 May 2023



Lopez-Conlan and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT

BELFAST (May 24, 2023) — Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez will make the first defense of his IBF featherweight world title against Michael “Mick” Conlan this Saturday, May 27, at The SSE Arena in Conlan’s hometown of Belfast.

Promoted by Top Rank and Conlan Boxing, in association with Queensberry Promotions, Lopez-Conlan and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S. beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT.

Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs), from Mexicali, Mexico, navigated bumpy terrain to become a world champion. Despite losing early in his career to Abraham Montoya and Ruben Villa, he regained his momentum with victories over unbeaten standouts Gabriel Flores Jr. and Isaac Lowe. After two stay-busy wins, Lopez received his shot at the title, defeating Josh Warrington last December in enemy territory in Leeds, England. Now under the tutelage of Kay Koroma, he is set to make his first title defense.

Conlan (18-1, 9 KOs), a 31-year-old Olympic bronze medalist, made an unsuccessful bid for the WBA featherweight title against Leigh Wood in March 2022 but bounced back later that year with wins over Miguel Marriaga and Karim Guerfi. Less than six months after his first-round knockout against Guerfi, he will return to The SSE Arena for the third straight time.

In other ESPN+ streaming action from Belfast:

• In a battle of undefeated featherweights, Nick Ball (17-0, 10 KOs) defends his WBC Silver title in a 12-rounder against Ludumo Lamati (21-0-1, 11 KOs). Ball, hailing from Liverpool, England, secured his regional title by defeating Isaac Lowe via sixth-round TKO in April 2022. He defended it later that year with stoppage wins against Nathanael Kakololo and Jesus Ramirez Rubio. Lamati, from South Africa, enters the bout after his fourth-round knockout win against Mark Anthony Geraldo last November.

• Junior lightweight contender Anthony Cacace (20-1, 7 KOs) takes on Polish standout Damian Wrzesinski (26-2-2, 7 KOs) in a 12-round clash. Cacace is 5-0 after suffering his first defeat in 2017 and is coming off a decision win against Michael Magnesi last September. Wrzesinski returns to the ring after decisioning Artjoms Ramlavs last October.

• Pierce O’Leary (11-0, 6 KOs), the undefeated fighting pride of Dublin, defends his WBC International title in a 10-round junior welterweight tilt against Romania’s Alin Florin Ciorceri (17-3, 7 KOs).



Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Matchroom Boxing reveals major fights in UK & Ireland schedule from August to October
    Tue, 21 Jul 2026
  • Colombia National Congress Awarded "Kid Pambelé" with Grand Cross Knight
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, Tue, 21 Jul 2026
  • MILO Marathon returns to Davao on August 2
    By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 21 Jul 2026
  • PHILBOXING.COM WEEKEND ROUNDUP: News, Fallout, and the Long Shadow of Sydney
    By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , Tue, 21 Jul 2026
  • Joe Hand Promotions Secures Commercial Rights for Errol Spence Jr. vs. Tim Tszyu Showdown
    Tue, 21 Jul 2026
  • Grandy Twins Head to Tampa to Learn from Hall of Famers Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright Ahead of August 14 Homecoming Fight
    Tue, 21 Jul 2026
  • Matchroom Extends Brentwood Town Fc Partnership as Principle Partner for Next Five Years as Barry Hearn Obe Provides Significant Investment to Non-League Football Club
    Tue, 21 Jul 2026
  • IBA Pro announces departure of Director Al Siesta
    Mon, 20 Jul 2026
  • Suarez sends strong signal
    By Joaquin Henson, Mon, 20 Jul 2026
  • THE CORNER SHIFT: Can Ronnie Shields Rebuild Errol Spence Jr. After the Derrick James Fallout?
    By T. Chin-Te, Mon, 20 Jul 2026
  • Yusniel Abrahante Shocks Undefeated Luis Coria in Dominant Performance Live on ProBox TV
    Sun, 19 Jul 2026
  • Salamov stops Suarez as Borshchev beats Brito at historic IBA Bare Knuckle US debut
    Sun, 19 Jul 2026
  • Pichay re-elected NCFP prexy, eyes more GMs
    By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 19 Jul 2026
  • Olympus Rising by TWC - Amateur MMA Fight on Saturday; live broadcast via Kalaro 3.0 Sports Super-app
    By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 19 Jul 2026
  • Suarez Obliterates Avila in One-Round Blitz to Capture WBO International Crown (Photos)
    By Dong Secuya, Sun, 19 Jul 2026