Jono Carroll could be set for a world title shot in the next couple of months with the Dubliner banging on the door for an opportunity to fight for a meaningful belt.
Carroll, the the IBF Inter-Continental champion who is rated at number four by the sanctioning body and has a ledger of 16-0-1, drew in a final eliminator against Guillaume Frenois of France last month at the FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield.
But the champion at super-featherweight, Tevin Farmer, has been granted an exception to face ‘King Kong’. Rumours are circulating that the potential bout will take place at a venue to be confirmed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on St. Patrick’s weekend, as America goes green.
No date has yet been formally revealed by promoter Eddie Hearn for the card, but with St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Sunday this year and Top Rank-promoted Mick Conlan returning at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, it would seem likely that the fight would happen on March 16.
Farmer, who is co-promoted by Hearn and Lou DiBella, was last in action last month when he retained his belt with a drab unanimous decision victory over Francisco Fonseca.
It is understood that London Olympics silver medallist John Joe Nevin will fight on the card alongside his former Irish team-mate Katie Taylor — a gold medalist at those same Games —as she defends her WBA and IBF female lightweight titles.
Nevin’s career to date has been blighted by lengthy periods of inactivity and the 30-year-old (11-0, 4 KOs) is hoping this opportunity will be the springboard he needs to get his campaign back on track.
Other Irish fighters could yet be added to the bill.
Meanwhile, keeping with the theme of the weekend, Donegal’s world-ranked middleweight Jason Quigley will likely defend his NABF title on the East Coast on a Golden Boy-promoted card that could feature his promotional stablemate Aaron McKenna.
Article by: Elliot Foster