2023 continues to bring great fights. Luis Alberto Deer Lopez (27-2-0, 15 KOs) will make the first defense of his IBF featherweight title against Irishman Michael Conlan (18-1-0, 9 KOs) at the SSE Arena Belfast, the contender’s hometown, on may 27th. The Mexican belted on the world championship belt in December when he defeated Josh Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KO) by majority decision in Leeds.
A large part of the Spanish boxing fans celebrated the triumph of the Deer López as if it were a national fighter. The Mexican prevailed by majority decision against Josh Warrington, who had snatched the title from Kiko Martínez (44-11-2, 31 KO) a few months earlier in a dirty fightand was proclaimed IBF featherweight champion in December of last year. Despite the fact that the British had a match similar to the one he had with the Spaniard, Luis Alberto won on the cards and took his well-deserved belt.
The Mexican has fought in USA and in the United Kingdom, as well as in Mexico, his native country. He has shown that he is not afraid to face tough opponents away from home, and his first title defense will be no different. He will travel to Belfast, in Northern Ireland, where Michael Conlan, the contender for the crown, is from. “Once again we are out of our land, but that is not new. Throughout my career, I have always left my land to defend what belongs to me, my city and my country, and this will not be the exception,” the Mexican shared on his Instagram account.
Conlan has already contested a world title, and it was his first and only loss of his career. He was knocked out of the ring by a brutal TKO in the 12th round against Leigh Wood (26-3-0, 16 KOs), who at the time held the WBA featherweight belt. One year later, he lost it to Mauricio Lara (26-2-1, 19 KO) by TKO in the seventh round. After losing his undefeated status, the Irishman chained two victories, one against the Colombian Miguel Marriaga (30-7-0, 26 KO) by unanimous decision, and another against Karim Guerfi (31-7-0, 9 KO) by TKO in the first round. These victories show that he is still a boxer fully capable of fighting for a big title.