Bob Arum believes victory for Michael Conlan in his next bout will set him up for a world title challenge later in 2021 in front of a sellout crowd at fight sport mecca Madison Square Garden.
Conlan last fought in August at the BT Sport Studios in London on a behind-closed-doors card due to COVID-19. The 29-year-old (14-0, 9 KOs) finished off Sofiane Takoucht of France in the 10th and final round.
His next fight has been set for May 1, beneath the IBF world flyweight title fight between champion Moruti Mthalane and challenger Sunny Edwards. And his promoter Arum says a huge reward awaits him if he succeeds, provided the vaccination process continues to allow a gradual return to normality.
"Mick will fight at the start of May and then the plan will be to move for the world title shot," said Arum as reported by The Belfast Telegraph. "We could put that on in Madison Square Garden and he would fill it up.
"I'm very encouraged that the pandemic will be abated in the States because we are now looking that by the end of May there will be enough vaccines to inoculate all of the population. So, by June we can start doing events with full capacity."
Both the United States and the United Kingdom are moving at an encouraging speed with their vaccinations, while a stage-by-stage lifting of pandemic-forced restrictions means live crowds could be a regular occurrence again in the second half of the calendar year.