Michael Conlan (16-1, 8 KOs) will look to get back to winning ways when he faces Miguel ‘The Scorpion’ Marriaga on August 6.
The 10-round featherweight fight goes ahead at Belfast’s SSE Arena as part of the city’s annual Féile an Phobail festival.
Colombia’s Marriaga (30-5, 26 KOs) will look to put a sting in the Northern Irishman’s world title aspirations after Conlan suffered his first professional loss earlier this year.
Marriaga has lost two of his last six, which included a wide points defeat to Eduardo Ramirez six months ago on the Gervonta Davis-Isaac Cruz undercard. However, the 35-year-old will look to get back to the level that got him three world title shots between featherweight and super featherweight
In 2015 he took Nicholas Walters the distance before landing himself two more opportunities in 2017. Another points loss came against Oscar Valdez before Marriaga was dominated by Vasiliy Lomachenko in seven rounds.
Conlan, 30, will no doubt look to put on a statement performance after his epic defeat to Leigh Wood in March. In a fight that the former Olympian dazzled in at times he was eventually knocked out by the heavy-handed WBA Featherweight title holder in a dramatic last round. Nothing less than an impressive win will do for the 30-year-old come August.
“I’m very excited to be back fighting in my beloved Belfast,” Conlan said in a press release. “Miguel is a great fighter, and together we’ll give the fans a memorable night at The SSE Arena. This bout will get me straight back in the mix for world titles, and I’m relishing the task at hand.”
Michael’s brother Jamie, who is also CEO of Conlan Boxing, said: “The road back for Michael starts with Miguel Marriaga. Miguel is a dangerous man and one of the biggest punchers in the division who has mixed it up at the very top. August 6 will be another electric night in the city in what is becoming an annual Irish boxing tradition with Michael’s fight night at the Féile festival. The goal remains the same. Michael Conlan will be Ireland’s next world champion.”