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Fight Club

Conlan adds Olympic flavour to WSB draft

Olympic star Michael Conlan is hoping to land a contract when the World Series of Boxing draft takes place this weekend.

OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALLIST Michael Conlan heads up a list of nine Irish fighters hoping to catch the eye in this year’s World Series of Boxing draft.

But there’s no news yet on whether London silver winner John Joe Nevin will return for another season in the high-profile amateur championship or turn professional.

Nevin won the inaugural WSB with Paris United but the Mullingar bantamweight is still weighing up his pro options and was due to fly out to for talks with a German promoter this week.

The WSB sees twelve global franchises compete over a six-month season. The competition was set up in 2010 by the AIBA, amateur boxing’s governing body, to encourage fighters to continue in the amateur ranks while still giving them a taste of professional-style bouts.

Nevin was one of eight Irish boxers to take part last season, a number which looks set to rise following this weekend’s draft.

Jason Quigley and Sean Turner, both of whom fought with the Los Angeles Matadors in 2011/2012, are among the 100 names hoping to land a contract on Sunday while John Joe Joyce is set to make his return to the competition after sitting out last season.

Conlan is one of three Irish flyweights along with Tyrone McCullagh and Sean McComb. Lightweight Eric Donovan and middleweight duo Conrad Cummings and Roy Sheehan have also declared their interest.

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