Replacement opponent confirmed for Michael Conlan's Belfast bout
Michael Conlan's replacement opponent for his August 3 bout has been confirmed.
The former world amateur champion will take on Argentina's Diego Alberto Ruiz at Falls Park in Belfast.
Conlan was due to fight Vladimir Nikitin but the Russian featherweight withdrew due to a bicep injury.
Ruiz has won 21 of his 23 professional fights and is undefeated since June 2016.
The fight will be a homecoming for Conlan with it due to take place at Falls Park in Belfast.
The Olympic medalist said: "The show goes on. A bigger fight is happening. A harder fight is happening.
@mickconlan11's Belfast homecoming has a new opponent: Diego Alberto “El Profeta” Ruiz. Conlan & Ruiz will face off in a 10-round featherweight bout as part of the Féile an Phobail summer festival 🥊🇮🇪#ConlanRuiz is coming to @ESPN+ Sat, August 3 at 5PM ET! #TheConlanRevolution pic.twitter.com/JO70S8Qs2S
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 3, 2019
"A better performance will happen. My motivation and mindset haven’t changed.
"I’ve got a high-class fighter ranked highly in the world. I’m expecting him to cause me more problems than what Nikitin could have caused me.
"Maybe, once I’m world champion, I might give Nikitin a shot but for now I’m moving on because it was more stalling my career than advancing it in terms of the level I’m at.
"Facing a higher level of opponent is better for me. I want to push on towards world titles and big, big fights and I have to start going through the gears now.”
