Vladimir Nikitin and Irish sensation Michael “Mick” Conlan are on a collision course for a rematch of their quarterfinal bout from the 2016 Rio Olympics, won by Nikitin via highly controversial decision. Nikitin will fight Juan Tapia (8-2, 3 KOs) in a six-round featherweight bout on the undercard of Conlan’s 10-round featherweight tilt against Ruben Garcia Hernandez on Sunday, March 17 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Conlan-Hernandez will be the special attraction for this special St. Patrick’s Day card, with the welterweight showdown between Luis Collazo and Samuel Vargas serving as the main event. In the newly announced co-feature, two-time Irish Olympic bronze medalist and former world title challenger Paddy Barnes (5-1, 1 KO) will look to get back in the win column against Oscar Mojica (11-5-1, 1 KO) in a six-rounder at bantamweight. Barnes challenged Cristofer Rosales for the WBC flyweight world title last August and lost via fourth-round knockout.
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets priced at $206, $156, $106, $81, $56, and $31 (including facility fees) are on sale now and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at ticketmaster.com and MSG.com.
