Michael Conlan to make pro debut on St. Patrick’s Day

Michael Conlan, the outspoken Irish Olympian who lost a controversial decision at Rio 2016 and took AIBA to task with a post-fight interview, will make his pro debut on Friday, March 17, facing club fighter Tim Ibarra at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Conlan, 25, is hoping to face Carl Frampton someday down the line in what would be a huge fight in Ireland, but will have plenty of work to do before he reaches that level. The 29-year-old Frampton is set to rematch Leo Santa Cruz on January 28 in Las Vegas, defending his WBA “super world” featherweight title.

Conlan is a Belfast native with a decorated amateur career as a flyweight and bantamweight. As a flyweight, he won bronze at the 2012 Olympics, and silver at the 2013 European Amateur Championships. As a bantamweight, he won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2015 European Amateur Championships, and 2015 World Amateur Championships.

He signed with Top Rank last September.