Michael Conlan vs. Jack Bateson | CH5 - 5 September 2025

[Ruthless-RKO]

Michael Conlan-Jack Bateson Set For Wasserman Show On September 5

Michael Conlan will make his long-awaited Dublin debut in the first week of September, as the two-time world title challenger is scheduled to face Jack Bateson in what Wasserman are billing a route back towards world championship contention.

Kalle Sauerland told The Ring last month that this would be a 'big fight that leads to other big fights' and all things considered, he'll box Bateson (20-1-1, 6 KOs) in a 10-round contest for a vacant WBC International strap which gives him a ranking with the sanctioning body.

The 33-year-old ended a 14-month layoff with an 8-round points win over the durable Asad Asif Khan at the Brighton Centre on March 1, in the first of a multi-fight deal aligned under the Wasserman promotional banner.

Consecutive stoppage defeats by now-former IBF champion Luis Alberto Lopez and Jordan Gill left the Belfast man pondering retirement before a change of heart prompted him to rebuild and go again.

European featherweight champion Cristobal Lorente was originally the plan, the 29-year-old was brought into the ring for a post-fight face-off on England's south Coast. Instead, he defended his title with a 12-round split draw against compatriot Ruben Gil on July 5.

In a press release, Conlan said: "I am truly honoured to be fighting in Dublin for the first time in my professional career. I boxed countless times in the city as an amateur, and achieved so much of my success there, so to finally be fighting in Dublin as a pro is genuinely exciting.

"And it's a big fight too. I have plenty of respect for Jack, we have sparred many rounds, and he poses a real threat to my world title plans. I will have to be on my A-game to win, but with the Dublin fans' support, we can make this a special night on my road back to the top."

Bateson's only pro loss came in the final stanza of a 12-round battle of unbeaten contenders with Shabaz Masoud in November 2022. Since then, he notched three consecutive wins before a nasty head clash during his IBF/WBO European junior lightweight matchup against Danny Quartermaine saw their showdown end prematurely in December.

There was talk of an immediate rematch, housed by GBM Sports, though instead Quartermaine opted for a more lucrative showdown with unbeaten prospect Royston Barney-Smith - a July 26 matchup that recently fell by the wayside due to injury.

Bateson is nonetheless glad to have landed on his feet after enduring a lengthy wait for fight news.

"Now the time has finally come, Michael Conlan is the sort of fight I've been waiting and working patiently for. Fighting him in Ireland, in-front of his fans could crumble some fighters but I'm confident and experienced enough to fight whoever, whenever.

"What he's achieved in the sport has been remarkable, but boxing is all about timing and I believe I am coming into my peak years as a pro. I've suffered defeat but it has only strengthened my resolve and made me a better fighter. On September 5 I will have to show some true Yorkshire grit, but am fully confident of securing a massive away win."

Elsewhere on the undercard, former world flyweight champion Charlie Edwards (20-2, 7 KOs) is set to return six months after a forgettable 12-round split decision defeat by Andrew Cain, while a matchup of unbeaten welterweights sees Ben Marksby (12-0, 2 KOs) face local favourite Senan Kelly (10-0, 2 KOs). Queensberry-backed contender Pierce O'Leary's European title defence against Jon Fernandez is also expected to land on this show.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Will this be a decent Friday night Channel 5 card?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jack Bateson looks to end frustrating period with the scalp of Michael Conlan

Jack Bateson, from Leeds, England, is the next fighter standing between Michael Conlan and the Irish star’s world title dreams.

Conlan and Bateson will meet at Dublin’s 3Arena in what will be Conlan’s first fight in the city.

The Belfastman, a two-time Olympian, won an eight-rounder against Asad Asif Khan in Brighton in March in his first contest since teaming up with new promoters, Wasserman, and new trainer Grant Smith.

That ended a 15-month exile after back-to-back losses against Luis Lopez and Jordan Gill. Now 33, Conlan is shaping up for one last run at a world crown.

Bateson, 31, was a talented amateur, boxing for Team GB, and he meets Conlan for a minor WBC featherweight title in a 10-rounder.

“I’ve had a frustrating few months, waiting for the right opportunity to present itself,” said Bateson.
“Now the time has finally come, the fight against Michael Conlan is the sort of fight I’ve been waiting and working patiently for. Fighting Michael in Ireland and in front of his fans, could crumble some fighters but I am confident enough and experienced enough in boxing to fight whoever, whenever. I’m really excited and I can’t wait for September 5. I boxed all over the world as an amateur, fighting guys on their home turf, and it never once fazed me. What Michael has achieved in the sport has been remarkable, but boxing is all about timing and I believe I am coming into my peak years as a pro. I’ve suffered defeat, but it has only strengthened my resolve and made me a better fighter.”

That lone loss in 22 fights came to Shabaz Masoud – stopped in the 12th and final round in 2022 – and, now 20-1-1 (6 KOs) following a clash of heads technical draw in his last fight, against Danny Quartermaine (in December), Bateson is keen to make the most of his opportunity in a bout that will be screened by Channel 5 in the UK.

Conlan, 19-3 (9 KOs), said it was an honor to be headlining in Dublin.

“I boxed countless times in the city as an amateur, and achieved so much of my success there, so to finally be fighting in Dublin as a pro, is genuinely exciting,” he said.

“And it’s a big fight too. I have plenty of respect for Jack Bateson, we have sparred many rounds, and he poses a real threat to my world title plans. I will have to be on my A-game to win this fight, but with the support of the fans in Dublin, we can make this a special night on my road back to the top.”

Promoter Kalle Sauerland is expecting a special night in Ireland.

“The atmosphere inside 3Arena on September 5 is going to give you goosebumps,” he said. “Michael is fighting in Dublin for the first time since his amateur days and the moment his iconic ring walk begins, the crowd are going to take the roof off the place.

“Jack Bateson is coming into the lion’s den, but he poses real danger to Michael’s world title plans, and our man knows there is no margin for error.

“But with the Irish fans in full voice, and 3Arena rocking, we know Mick will rise to the occasion and secure the win on what promises to be a night that Irish boxing will never forget.”

Also on the bill, there will be appearances from former flyweight champion Charlie Edwards, and 12-0 junior welter Ben Marksby meets 10-0 Senan Kelly.

[KiwiRider]

I'm looking forward to this a bit more than when it was first announced - mainly because there isn't much boxing on at the moment

[Ruthless-RKO]

I'm looking forward to this a bit more than when it was first announced - mainly because there isn't much boxing on at the moment

This week we have Misfits. Darren Till against Rockhold, whoever that is.

[SeanBrennan]

Always liked Conlan but can’t help thinking that Conlan Boxing is the last vestiges of recycled iterations of Kinahan money.

He’s washed up but I do hope he wins moth withstanding all the promotional backdrop.

[KiwiRider]

I'm looking forward to this a bit more than when it was first announced - mainly because there isn't much boxing on at the moment

This week we have Misfits. Darren Till against Rockhold, whoever that is.

Maaate
If you don't know, how the flamin heck is anyone else supposed to know?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Michael Conlan running towards adversity ahead of Dublin return

Despite the lure of attractive fights at junior lightweight, Ireland’s Mick Conlan is not in a hurry to box at 130lbs.

Conlan returns to the ring in Dublin on September 5 when he boxes Britain’s Jack Bateson.

Conlan, a two-time Olympian, is now a 33-year-old veteran, but he is training as hard as ever to make an impression and keep moving towards another title try.

Now 19-3 (9 KOs), and training with Grant Smith in Sheffield, England, Conlan returned with a routine eight-round win in April in Brighton, England, as he prepares for another run at glory.

Against Asad Asif Khan, Conlan – despite his advancing years – saw that the job of making 126 was no problem.

“That was the easiest I’ve ever made weight,” he insisted. “It was the best I’ve ever made weight and the easiest – it was really easy. That was 128, I think, so not 126, 128. I’ll make 126 just as easy, if I’m going to be honest. I always get in shape. I always stay in shape. I never really let myself go too out of shape. Even if I'm heavy, I’m still in shape – you still see abs. I don’t even know what the [body fat] percentage was, but it definitely was low.”

Conlan is a voracious runner. He has clocked a treadmill 5k time of 15 minutes and 53 seconds and has marked 16:23 out on the roads.

He can cover 10k in just 36 minutes and has a sub-three-hour marathon.

But while he runs, and does enjoy it, he is not hooked on it. He admits he has used it as a crutch for his mental health before, being able to escape and be alone with his thoughts.

“I could stop running right now if I didn’t need to,” he said with a smile. “I like running – and especially on my year off, because it was somewhere my head could go, because I just had an awful lot on my mind and the running kind of really helped me. The thing is, I love training hard. I love hard work. And that’s something that I made sure I’d done when I was training for that marathon, was put the work in, because it’ll pay off in the end.”

Conlan ran the marathon in 2:55, but he believes he could go much quicker.

That said, at mile No. 24, he hit the wall.

“At mile 24, I felt like a sniper come out and just went bang! – shot me,” he recalled.

“I was in hell. My missus and my kids were at mile 24 and they were shouting for me and I didn’t even see them. I’m in a dark place at that stage.”

At mile 21, Conlan had miscalculated his timings and so picked up the pace – not knowing he was still well on course to break his three-hour target.

Some severe self-talk kept him in the race and on schedule, but Conlan was alone with his troublesome thoughts because he is not one to always run with music. Instead, he uses the time to process his life and what’s going on.

“The thing is the breathing, listening to your breath and feeling how you’re feeling. And then, obviously, just thoughts start to creep into your mind,” he said.

“‘What was this?’ ‘What was that?’ ‘Why did I do this?’ ‘Why did I do that?’ I’m feeling, ‘Am I all right?’ ‘Can I push harder?’ ‘I can ease off.’ ‘Go.’ Like, there’s so much shit that comes into your head. Like, how much thoughts do we actually have a day? How much thoughts creep into the mind per day? And when you’re running and you're by yourself and there’s no other sound, bar cars driving past on the road or the air, you’re going, ‘OK, now I can actually listen to what is going on in my head. And sometimes it’s better to sit back, not to interrupt your thoughts coming into your head, sit back and listen to your thoughts and view them and go, ‘Why has that came like that?’ ‘Why have I said that?’ ‘Why is that coming?’ It’s not me saying it, it’s my head saying it, but why has that been said in my head? “Why am I trying to think a certain type of way here?”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight week!!

[Ruthless-RKO]

JACK BATESON READY TO SHOCK MICHAEL CONLAN, 'MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE'

Jack Bateson is hoping to belatedly announce himself to the boxing world when he travels to Ireland to face Irish hero, Michael Conlan, at Dublin’s 3Arena on September 5.

The 10-round featherweight fight will be televised by Channel 5.

Bateson seems to have been around forever and whilst he still looks younger than his 31 years, he has endured his share of frustrations and disappointments.

He was just seven years old when he first hit pads with his father, Mark, and the pair are still working together.

Back in 2017, Bateson (20-1, 6 KOs) made his debut on one of the small hall shows his father regularly stages at the Banqueting Suite at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium and he has continued to appear on them throughout his career.

Finally, they have been given a long overdue chance to perform on a major stage.

It hasn’t been easy and a stand alone victory over former world title challenger, Conlan (19-3, 9 KOs), won’t instantly make the years of sacrifice worth it. What it will do is put Bateson in an excellent position to finally capitalise on the hard work he has put in.

"It’ll mean the world. My dad stuck by me through thick and thin. Through the good and the bad as a father should and does but he's my inspiration,” Bateson told The Ring.

"I want to achieve for me but for my dad as well. I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for boxing so I'm achieving for myself, but my family and the Bateson name.

“This is my chance. This is my ticket. It's on me now, there's no excuses. I've just got to go there and make my dreams come true.”

Bateson was a top class amateur who spent years in the Team GB set-up. He competed at European and World championships at both junior and senior levels and just missed out on a spot at the Rio Olympics in 2016. He was even selected to receive a Sky Sports scholarship and was regularly featured on the network.

After turning professional he appeared on a number of Josh Warrington undercards - winning every time - and seemed well positioned to to pick up the torch and carry the sport in the city once “The Leeds Warrior” decided to hang up his gloves.

But things never quite panned out the way everybody seemed to think they would.

In November 2022 he was stopped in the twelfth and final round of a hard fought battle with future IBO junior featherweight champion, Shabaz Masoud, and has spent almost three years working his way back to prominence.

“You do need a bit of luck in this game,” he said.

“I've worked as hard as anyone in this sport and I feel like I've probably done a similar route to some of these superstars. I’ve been on Team GB and won medals at international tournaments. When I turned over, I built my way up on my dad's shows and the small, little shows and won the English title. Then I won the WBA Intercontinental and I got beat by a world champion and not many opportunities have come. They’re here now and I just need to make the most of this.

“Everyone loves a winner as they always say and when you're in the changing rooms after a win, your phone doesn't stop ringing but, if it's just you and your coach in there and you've just lost, that phone doesn't ring.”

For a long time, former Olympians carried British boxing on their backs. Times have changed and, these days, major British shows are dominated by fighters who didn’t turn over with a host of amateur medals and have instead had to force their way into position and grasp every opportunity that came their way.

Bateson is unusual in that he has that top level amateur background and benefitted from spending years in the Team GB amateur set-up but has also had to grit his teeth and take the long road to a major opportunity.

A victory over Conlan will make the perseverance all the sweeter.

“I think no matter who achieves what in this sport, they deserve it but those that come up through the small hall shows, they have to really graft to get there,” he said.

“It really is something we've earned and it's my plan on winning on September 5th and then being able to say, 'Listen, I've worked hard for this.'

“That's the plan.”

[THEBUTCH]

Conlan or his handlers are wary of taking on anyone with dig after the Jordan Gill defeat.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Michael Conlan: PED use is ‘massive’ in boxing

After a pro career spanning 22 fights, Michael Conlan said his eight-round victory over Asad Asif Khan was the only one that did not have drug testing.

Conlan, who was tested through the amateurs as a two-time Olympian, however, fears that the use of PEDs is more prevalent than many in the positions of power would care to admit.

Conlan thinks he may have boxed more than one opponent who was taken enhancements, too.

The Irishman returns to action in Dublin at 3Arena on September 5, boxing Leeds, England’s Jack Bateson.

“Bar my last fight, I’ve been tested near all my fights,” said the 33-year-old. “But that’s only in the fights. That’s not through the training camp because what I see, what I think of professional boxing is a lot of people say go, because when you’re getting tested, unless you're on VADA and something or stuff like that, it’s ‘in competition.’ What’s ‘in competition?’ It’s on fight night. So if you’re taking shit [drugs] in training camp, and by the time you get to fight night and you’ve cycled it out, and then you're fighting but you’re clean on paper, you know, it’s ‘in competition.’ That shit’s out of competition. Who knows? It’s just the way it is. Anything can happen. Anything goes. Nobody really cares. Zero people care really about you but yourself and your own family. Everybody, and maybe your coach, like you’ve got good coaches, like Grant [Smith, who Conlan is with], you can tell he cares about his fighters and really wants security and safety for his fighters. And a lot of coaches are like that, obviously. But you do see a lot of coaches as well over the big names and they can make money off, they’ll jump on it. There’s people like that and they don’t really care. They just want to earn what they're going to earn.”

Asked whether he felt the use of PEDs in boxing today was commonplace, Conlan replied:

“Yeah, I think it's massive,” he said.

“I think it’s massive. I think America was much ahead. Russia, they [the Russians] always been ahead. I think the UK, in a sense, is definitely catching up and there’s people in the UK who are actively doping. I always said I would never do it because at the end of my career, whether I achieve or whether I don’t achieve, we will look in the mirror and say, ‘I’ve done it my way, I’ve done it the right way, I’ve done it clean.’ Where, as time has gone on, I think, like, these people, they’ll look in the mirror and say, ‘fornicate it, I’ve won. Everybody else was doing it.’”

“That’s what I think. I think most people at the top end in this game have done or are doing some sort of PEDs. And whether it’s legal doping or not, who knows?”

Conlan points out that even some of the most stringent testing agencies get a five-week runway with testing fighters, by which time substances would have come and gone out of their body.

Despite Conlan’s beliefs, he persists with trying to capture that elusive world title. He thought about quitting after the loss to Lopez in May 2023. Plenty felt she should have walked after losing to Jordan Gill later that year.

But the loss to Gill came while Conlan’s mind was elsewhere. He’d changed trainers, moving from Adam Booth to Pedro Diaz, and only had a short lead time to the fight.

With those factors in his mind, he did not fight for a year, but knew he would not walk away.

“After Lopez, you say things in the heat of the moment, don’t you?” he said. “Especially after losing and getting stopped, you don’t think clearly, and I was like, ‘no, that’s it.’

“That’s why, after Gill, I didn’t say nothing, because there was no point. You’ve gotta take time and reassess when you’re in a clear kind of headspace, and that was my mistake after Lopez, of saying, ‘no, that’s it, done.’ And then I’ve said, ‘no, no, I’m not done.’

“The Gill one, that was harder to swallow, 100 per cent, that was harder to swallow than Lopez, but I knew with everything in my life going on at that stage that wasn’t the best me in the ring. That wasn’t me. I shouldn’t have been in the ring with eight weeks preparation, well, six weeks of actual training, and getting in there again, someone who had something to prove with Jordan, so, you gotta give him credit, he went and got the job done that night. I lost; it is what it is.”

Like Jordan Gill, Jack Bateson has little to lose going into the lion’s den to face Conlan, but Conlan will know that – with a loss – retirement will loom larger than ever.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Full weights

10 rounds – featherweight
Michael Conlan (125.92lbs) vs. Jack Bateson (125.74lbs)

10 rounds – junior bantamweight
Charlie Edwards (114.76lbs) vs. Salvador Juarez (116.5lbs)

10 rounds – junior welterweight
Ben Marksby (140.9lbs) vs. Senan Kelly (139.4lbs)

8 rounds – junior middleweight
Dan Toward (155.4lbs) vs. Khalid Ennachat (156.34lbs)

6 rounds – welterweight
Kieran Molly (146.62lbs) vs. Nourdeen Toure (147.58lbs)

6 rounds – junior middleweight
Glenn Byrne (153.5lbs) vs. Jacob Quinn (155.3lbs)

6 rounds – super middleweight
Kevin Cornin (168.2lbs) vs. Grant Dennis (169.2lbs)

6 rounds – junior lightweight
Codie Smith (129.6lbs) vs. Mario Victorino Vera (130.3lbs)

6 rounds – junior featherweight
Paul Loonam (123.42lbs) vs. Jake Pollard (124.3lbs)

4 rounds – featherweight
Cain Lewis (125.9lbs) vs. Erick Omar Lopez (124.86lbs)

Cruiserweight
Kian Hedderman (181.36lbs) vs. Alexandru Crasnitchii (181.22lbs)

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tonight

[TheLeprechaun]

Conlan or his handlers are wary of taking on anyone with dig after the Jordan Gill defeat.

Very bad loss that was.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Date: Friday 5 September 2025
Location: 3Arena - Dublin, Ireland
TV/Stream: Channel 5

Start Times
Channel 5: 9 pm BST (Main Card)

Promoted by: Wasserman Boxing

Fight Card

Vacant WBC International Featherweight Championship
Michael Conlan vs. Jack Bateson

Vacant WBC International Super Flyweight Championship
Charlie Edwards vs. Salvador Juarez

10 Round Super Lightweight Contest
Ben Marksby vs. Senan Kelly

8 Round Super Welterweight Contest
Dan Toward vs. Khalid Ennachat

8 Round Super Welterweight Contest
Dean Walsh vs. Jamil Elo

6 Round Welterweight Contest
Kieran Molloy vs. Nourdeen Toure

6 Round Super Welterweight Contest
Glenn Byrne vs. Jacob Quinn

6 Round Super Middleweight Contest
Kevin Cronin vs. Grant Dennis

6 Round Super Featherweight Contest
Codie Smith vs. Mario Victorino Vera

6 Round Super Bantamweight Contest
Paul Loonam vs. Jake Pollard

4 Round Featherweight Contest
Cain Lewis vs. Erick Omar Lopez

4 Round Cruiserweight Contest
Kian Hedderman vs. Alexandru Crasnitchii

[handsofstone]

Undercard on 5 action now, Charlie Edwards first up, must be pretty far down the card, 5 rounds in, typical Edwards fight

[keithmoonhangover]

Undercard on 5 action now, Charlie Edwards first up, must be pretty far down the card, 5 rounds in, typical Edwards fight

Just tuned in, god that looked dull. Has Dan Toward been on already?

[handsofstone]

Undercard on 5 action now, Charlie Edwards first up, must be pretty far down the card, 5 rounds in, typical Edwards fight

Just tuned in, god that looked dull. Has Dan Toward been on already?

No sure about Toward but aye that was instantly forgettable, Edwards a former world champ, you'd expect him to be higher up the bill but giving his style he deserves to be low down, unless he's in a meaningful fight who wants to watch him?

[keithmoonhangover]

Undercard on 5 action now, Charlie Edwards first up, must be pretty far down the card, 5 rounds in, typical Edwards fight

Just tuned in, god that looked dull. Has Dan Toward been on already?

No sure about Toward but aye that was instantly forgettable, Edwards a former world champ, you'd expect him to be higher up the bill but giving his style he deserves to be low down, unless he's in a meaningful fight who wants to watch him?

Not me.

Ben Marksby vs Senan Kelly should be a decent scrap. Local boy against promoter's fighter. Both undefeated light punchers.

[handsofstone]

Just tuned in, god that looked dull. Has Dan Toward been on already?

No sure about Toward but aye that was instantly forgettable, Edwards a former world champ, you'd expect him to be higher up the bill but giving his style he deserves to be low down, unless he's in a meaningful fight who wants to watch him?

Not me.

Ben Marksby vs Senan Kelly should be a decent scrap. Local boy against promoter's fighter. Both undefeated light punchers.

Seen Kelly against Geraghty, he won that but I thought he lost

[skanksta]

Here we go !

Marksby points...

[skanksta]

Nothing in it R1

10-10

Kelly the better boxer, Marksby a weight div bigger..

[skanksta]

Fairly clear 2 and 3 for Kelly.

M 28-30 K

[skanksta]

Marksby back in to it R4