Eddie Hearn, President of Matchroom Sport:
“We know this main event battle between Michael Conlan and Leigh Wood is happening in Nottingham, but we wanted to go to Belfast because we haven’t been here to fight in a long time.
“Many times, over the years, we have seen young boxers from Belfast come and fill the arenas, here the Odyssey Arena and of course fighting very successfully in the UK and the US.
“This young man, Caoimhin Agyarko, we never really had the chance to hold a proper press conference with him because of the COVID restrictions and the world we live in, but we are delighted. welcome this young man to the Boxing Matchroom and Team DAZN.
“About three or four years ago, someone approached me and said we had a very special fighter here that you need to look at. We get a lot of those phone calls; we just finished the Olympics and we signed the boxers and unfortunately I never heard of Caoimhin Agyarko and didn’t sign him that day. When I watched him fight afterwards, I kicked really fast and said we missed one there.
“When there was an opportunity with Paul Ready and STN to sign him recently, we signed him immediately. He won his first title, the WBA International Title in Liverpool, great performance and I am delighted to announce that Caoimhin Agyarko will be in the big title match on 12 March in Nottingham. ”
Leigh Wood – Nottingham, England – 25-2, 15 KOs – defends her first WBA Featherweight title against Michael Conlan:
“I am not a performer monkey, I am a martial artist. I’m not a media novice, I didn’t manage well, I worked from the bottom up. I have earned everything from myself the hard way.
“In my opinion, I don’t think Mick has ever been in a 50/50 fight, which is new for him, but I’ve overcome those challenges. I have been in unpopular bookies and come out the other side from a pressure point of view. He’s right, there will be a lot of people and a lot of pressure, but I thrive on pressure. My whole career, I’ve been hooked on and out on the other side, we have seven weeks to find out and I can’t wait.
“My greatest asset that is not even talked about in the slightest, dedication, I have put my life on hold because boxing is everything to me. It’s always been like that since he was young; he will look into these failures but it will work in my favor. I don’t have to pay attention to his performance, I know what I’m going to do, I know exactly what I’m going to do.
“Michael is a great fighter, he’s had some really great wins and it’s going to be a really big challenge, but I knew what I needed to do on the night of the teamfight. He’s a great champion, a great public figure in Ireland, massive, all the best in teamfights because he’s going to need it.
“I have been there before, in the battles of my career, in my life. I had no one to motivate me, no one to guide me in the right direction, nor did my dad take me to the gym since I was a kid. I was walking in the gym on my own at 10/11 and it took me a long time to do that, to get to this point on my own. I came here alone with pure determination and bravery, tenacity and not giving up and that’s what I have to do to get through this fight and that’s what I do. ”
Ben Davison, Leigh Wood’s coach:
“There is a whole difference between saying that I think someone is going to lose a war and the fact that this is very important in my opinion. If you go the wrong way in a fight, you can lose a war. This is a fight where if either of them go the wrong way in the fight, they can lose – that’s why it’s drawn so much, and ticket sales are flying. That’s the fighting style.
“I think it’s important to me that you have to be realistic, you have to have the mental strength to absorb that and do your best.
“Leigh is insanely strong mentally, I’ve worked with other elite fighters and Leigh has one of the best mindsets going into a fight with any fighter I’ve worked with. . I believe in Leigh, and of course I believe in his thinking.
“There have been adjustments along the way, maturity, whatever it is – I stand by what I have to say. I’m not going to be delusional and say that Mick can’t climb a few rounds, of course he can. He is a very talented and very versatile fighter. I believe it is certain tendencies and habits that leave us with the opportunity to find that the battle-changing moment will happen at night.
“I don’t think physical size will be a factor, no, although he’s not known as a strong fighter, Mick is stronger than what his profile might suggest. There’s a reason why he struggles to be super underweight, he’s not petite but Leigh is a good sized person. I don’t think we’ll go into the match based on physical attributes, it’s a tactical thing that he will win this match. “
Michael Conlan – Belfast, Northern Ireland – 16-0.8 KO – challenges Leigh Wood for the WBA Featherweight title:
“I’m in the back garden, I want to come and say what I want to say. I have no fear at all, I am there and I will say my bad things and say what I need to say. Leigh stutters, he tries to sound things out and doesn’t make sense, but you know, that’s part of the fighting game.
“I like this, these get me ready to go, I can fight now. I’m ready to go now, Leigh is not and doesn’t need to be at 100% until the night of the teamfight. That’s the thing, I’ve stayed pro, I’ve been training since September, I think I’ll fight in December – I keep training, staying fit, staying healthy. March 12 you will hear I’m new and that’s all I have to say.
“I know exactly what it’s like to fight under such pressure when at home, I’ve done it three times and every show has been epic. So many people there, so many expectations, a purpose built arena in a park. This guy doesn’t understand it, he has never felt it, you can see his demeanor has changed compared to yesterday.
“He doesn’t understand the pressure that comes with fighting in your home city, he had the chance to fight at MSG and he could go to Belfast and fight if he wanted to. But no, he wants to fight in Nottingham, at the City Ground before he retires. He knows I can beat him.
“Anyone has the potential to lose, anybody, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but he’s not going to beat me. It’s just as simple as that. I really respect him as a warrior and a human being, but again fuck all that until the war is over. When the fight is over, shake his hand. Happy days, can’t wait.
“I’m ready to go to the end, it doesn’t matter, this fight means something to me. I’ve been away from both of my children, I saw them for the first time in four weeks last night and it will be the last time I see them in seven weeks until the battle comes. This is my life, the only thing I know is boxing, believe me on March 12 I will be new, 100%.
“This is the beginning of my journey to becoming the best boxer in the world, once I win this belt I will continue to do what I have to do after that. I have to win this belt first before I have to think about it.”
Jamie Conlan, Conlan Boxing:
“We know we’re on the B side on this, we weren’t on a private jet this morning, we were on the nice British Airways with the security guys – it was a very tight squeeze. rigid. Yesterday we talked about what this means to the family, to Michael, to Ireland.
“Michael has been wearing the Irish flag since 2012, the pressure is on his shoulders that the other boxers can’t understand. Leigh couldn’t understand the pressure Michael had to contend with, whether it was through the World Championships Olympics as an amateur, under a microscope as a professional, to make the match come out. his eye becomes a remarkable card.
“No one does that, it gives you more scrutiny and perspective, which is very difficult to compare with you, he has to learn in front of people and learn the hard way because he always open to criticism and scrutiny. All of this is well deserved for this moment as there has been a lot of learning, ups and downs during the 4 years he has been playing professionally.
“We’ve done it all over America, here, now we’re going to Nottingham. As I said yesterday, this is destiny, to go to the opponent’s backyard and become a legend, create a legacy. Tear it off of him in front of his family and friends, with whom he’s gathered, it doesn’t get much sweeter.
“We are working class kids from West Belfast, it was a tough upbringing area, we went through tough times. It’s ingrained in us, everyone in this room has a bit of a fight that they don’t have in places like Nottingham. This is a tough city; they have a hard time raising them.
“He’s going to test everything, I expect this to be his toughest test, Leigh Wood is a great fighter – the hardest featherweight in the world I’ve heard from Ben. Hitting harder than the Oscar Valdez he said yesterday, he’ll test Michael differently, no doubt about that.
“He is strong, he is tall, he is bigger, he has all the advantages, they think he is more skillful. They think he has every advantage over Michael so that’s interesting. It adds to the plot, it adds to proving everyone wrong and the big ship we’re carrying on our shoulders.
“It will be great when March 12 arrives, sitting from 11-12 p.m. with the new WBA World Feather Champion and a great friend to all the others.
“Everything I stated yesterday was true, I gave him a chance to be the boss and he didn’t, so he lied. Everything he says from here on, I don’t believe, is bullshit.
“I like Leigh and I like Ben, but everything I have said is true. We also have more evidence, screenshots from texts that highlight Ben’s suspicions about Leigh Wood. I believe that Ben believes in Leigh’s strength; Does he believe in anything else? No, he doesn’t. “
Caoimhin Agyarko – Belfast, Northern Ireland – 10-0.7 KO – undefeated middleweight contender:
“Another Irish card, it was a great win for me last time, a great learning battle, an undefeated opponent came to fight. Obviously, I could have performed better but fortunately I was quickly eliminated and am looking to improve from that win.
“The Belfast fans have always supported me with my amateur talent and now my professional career. I find it very noisy in Liverpool when I fight, and I expect the same in Nottingham – especially with Mick in the card. It’s a great card for me to be on, by the end of the year I want to be the stand-up shows or fight back home to Belfast and give them great nights.
“I’ve said before that I’m a newbie to ten, add two of three steps and I’ll be ready to shoot the title shows back home. I’ve made myself into the top 15 in the world and that’s where I want to be by the end of 2021. Looking forward to 2022 is to go and score some records.
“An Irish invasion, everyone in this press conference will join the fight and more. It’s going to be very noisy and I can’t enjoy the moment, hoping for a good performance and a good win. ”
Tickets for Wood vs. Conlan costs £40, £60, £80, £100, £150 and £300 (VIP).
General sale tickets can be purchased via StubHub (www.stubhub.co.uk) NOW.
