The Boxing Truth®

The story going into the Featherweight bout between former two-time Olympian and world title challenger Michael Conlan and rising contender Jake Bateson was whether he could continue building momentum in his second fight since returning from a lengthy hiatus following three knockout losses in a relatively short timeframe. In previewing this bout , this observer stated that this fight was part of a rebuilding process for Conlan and that a win here would not necessarily indicate whether he would be back to a point where he was three years ago when he was ahead on the scorecards in his world title challenge of then WBA World Featherweight champion Leigh Wood going into the final round of a grueling and competitive fight and being literally minutes away from becoming world champion, before suffering a brutal knockout loss, which seemed to start a slide for him in the wrong direction as a fighter.  Despite yours truly saying prior to his encounter with Bateson that there would likely n...

    Press Release: By Probellum – SHEFFIELD, NOVEMBER  9 – Jack Bateson and Shabaz Masoud have fired warning shots at each other ahead of their barnstorming battle of top British prospects.  Credit: Probellum   Bateson and Masoud clash in a sizzling super bantamweight showdown at Probellum Sheffield on Friday night – and both men have rubbished big claims from their rival.   Leeds hero Bateson has poured scorn on Masoud being the betting favourite and insists ‘Maverick’ has heaped pressure on himself with his pre-fight confidence.   Stoke’s Masoud is certain of “comfortably” beating Bateson and says he sees plenty of weaknesses in the former medal-winning Great Britain amateur star.   Bateson and Masoud come head-to-head at today’s press conference in the Steel City and the tension between the pair is simmering as fight night nears.   Jack Bateson (17-0) said: “I’m not sure why Shabaz is the favourite with the bookies, but it’s a mistake, tha...