Boxing

It was a return to Belfast for the first time since his defeat by Jordan Gill in December 2023 which left him with much to ponder in terms of his career.

After a 16-month hiatus, Conlan returned in March 2025 under new coach Grant Smith, producing a points win over Asad Asif Khan in Brighton before stopping Jack Bateson in Dublin six months later.

However, the SSE Arena once again proved to be the scene of one final night of disappointment that has resulted in his decision to retire.

It wasn’t a case of him being completely dominated this time, but there was self-awareness that his performance was not up to a level where he could threaten a standing champion.

Walsh will instead seek his own opportunity and called out WBC featherweight champion Bruce Carrington afterwards.

“It was definitely a close fight,” he told DAZN afterwards.

“Shout out to Mick Conlan – I’ve always been a fan of his but he couldn’t figure me out. He’s been a helluva fighter, but his time’s up.”

Those words rang true with Conlan confirming this is indeed time up.

“Boxing has given me an unbelievable life,” he reflected.

“I can never be bitter with the situation because it gives you so much and takes so much. I’ve always said you can never love the sport as it will never love you back.

“I want to walk away with my health intact and my family good. I’ve done really well in boxing, have reached some serious heights and fought in some serious arenas around the world, done things many fighters don’t get to do.”

He continued: “I’ve achieved an awful lot but have I reached my goal of becoming a world champion? No, and that’s the hardest part of all.

“I’m a stubborn person and would want to keep going, but I’ve missed a lot of my family’s lives. I’ve two kids, my daughter is 11 next week and my son is seven. I’ve missed maybe 65 or 70% of their lives through boxing and training camps, so it’s time to go home.”

Jai Opetaia is set to lose his IBF cruiserweight title if he goes ahead with a fight against Brandon Glanton on Sunday.

Opetaia is scheduled to fight Glanton for the inaugural Zuffa Boxing World Cruiserweight title but the IBF said it has “withdrawn sanction of the optional defence” for its belt.

The IBF said that it had initially approved the bout as Opetaia’s team had told them the Zuffa Boxing fight in Las Vegas would not be a unification bout and that any belt awarded would be “characterised as a trophy or token of recognition”.

However, it added that following a news conference on Friday, it was “made it clear that the Zuffa World Cruiserweight title would still be contested” and, as the IBF does not recognise Zuffa Boxing, it was now an unsanctioned fight.

“For the purpose of unification of titles, the preeminent champions of the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) may be designated as ‘elite contenders’ and may be permitted to fight for the unified title,” said the IBF in a statement.

It added: “An unsanctioned contest is a fight which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn.

“If a champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the champion wins or loses the bout.”

Australian Opetaia, 30, also holds the Ring cruiserweight title.

It is unlikely to be a closed system like UFC-style leagues, where fighters are restricted to competing only within one organisation.

Seven-division champion Amanda Serrano, MVP’s marquee name, joined some of the fighters on stage at a news conference on Friday.

When asked if MVPW could introduce its own belt in the future, Bidarian said he wanted to give fans the “best possible match-ups” and work alongside the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF.

“We’re interested in having as many world champions as possible being a part of the MVPW brand,” he said.

“Ultimately it’s not really about sanctioning bodies, it’s about our athletes. We respect the sanctioning bodies and their process, but they need to evolve as well to allow for consistent matchmaking that is logical in terms of growing the brand and fanbase.”

MVPW3 will take place on 30 May in El Paso, Texas, with WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han facing Holly Holm in a rematch following a technical decision in their January meeting.

MVP are looking to capitalise on proposed changes, external to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.

UFC-style leagues have been banned in boxing because of concerns over promoters controlling sanctioning, rankings, belts and fighter management.

Proposed amendments would allow league-style formats while claiming to maintain protections for fighters – a move initiated by Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

From the pre-fight weigh-in to the ring-walk, Jones is fully prepared for a number of firsts in Derby.

“It feels even more crazy, the fact I’m going to get in a boxing ring, doing the walk-on that everyone talks about, no head guard, a full on fight, it is crazy, but I am crazy and I absolutely love it,” she said.

“The ring-walk, the lights, the ring, even things like getting your hands wrapped, I’m really trying to embrace everything and try to enjoy it.

“Life’s about making memories and new experiences. Not many can say that they’ve done that walk. I’m really proud of myself for committing to the challenge.”

Nicknamed ‘The Headhunter’ during her glittering taekwondo career due to her ability to kick opponents in the head, Jones is no stranger to being ruthless in combat.

But even an athlete as fierce as Jones accepts she may need to improve her game face when it comes to her upcoming face-off with Criss.

“I’ve had a little practice with the guys in here and I just always end up bursting out laughing,” she said of learning to square up to an opponent during the pre-fight build-up.

“Hopefully I can be a more serious on the night and a bit more scary.”

Boxing greats Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have agreed a professional rematch in September.

Pacquiao, 47, and Mayweather, 48, will fight at Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday, 19 September, with the bout live on Netflix.

Former world champion Mayweather announced he would come out of retirement for a fourth time last week.

It will be the American’s first professional fight since beating mixed martial arts fight Conor McGregor with a 10th-round technical knockout in 2017.

Eight-weight world champion Pacquiao retired from the sport to focus on his political career in 2021 but returned to the ring last July to fight WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, who retained his title after a draw.

Mayweather and Pacquiao first met in 2015, in what was billed as the ‘Fight of the Century’.

It was Mayweather who emerged victorious, beating Pacquiao via a wide unanimous decision in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao said: “Floyd and I gave the world what remains the biggest fight in boxing history.

“The fans have waited long enough. They deserve this rematch.

“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him.”

Mayweather said: “I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result.”

Garcia is the new world champion after a unanimous points decision victory against title holder.

Ryan Garcia has won the WBC welterweight title with a dominant unanimous decision over Mario Barrios.

Garcia dropped Barrios in the opening seconds on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, and controlled the fight with sharp combinations. The 27-year-old stayed patient after the early knockdown and turned more conservative late with a big lead.

The judges scored the fight 119-108, 120-107 and 118-109 for Garcia (25-2, 20 knockouts) of Victorville, California. The Associated Press news agency had it 119-109.

“It feels good to finally be a world champion,” Garcia said. “It’s something I’ve been dreaming of since I was seven years old.”

Garcia already has begun to turn to his future, looking at WBO super lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and saying he wanted him next.

This was the second underwhelming bout in a row for Barrios (29-3-2, 18 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas, after he was fortunate to escape with a majority draw victory over Manny Pacquiao in July.

The win capped a turbulent stretch for Garcia, including a suspension, fines and other controversies.

In the co-main event, Gary Antuanne Russell kept his title against Andy Hiraoka.