MICHAEL Conlan is officially the new world number one amateur bantamweight.
The Belfast native climbed the rankings, released by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) on Tuesday, November 3, to become only the third Irish boxer to claim the top spot in their respective weight classes.
Katie Taylor currently occupies the number one spot in the lightweight class.
Mullingar super-featherweight John Joe Nevin became the first Irish man to be crowned the world’s top-ranked amateur boxer before he turned professional in 2013.
Officially @AIBA_Boxing World Number One as of today!!! #No.1 #WorldChampion pic.twitter.com/UwlSw1kYr8
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) November 3, 2015
Conlan has had a successful year, in which he claimed European and World gold. He also qualified for Rio 2016 through the World Series of Boxing (WSB).
Joe Ward, who won silver at the World Boxing Championships earlier this month and who is also heading to Rio, rose to number three in the rankings in the 81kg class.
Bronze-medallist Michael O’Reilly, moves up four places to third in the middleweight class.
Elsewhere, Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes claimed on Twitter that he'd been ranked in the wrong weight class, and that he was concerned over his seeding for the upcoming Olympics.
@Fergz16 @KevooByrne @AIBA_Boxing @KatieTaylor I'm 20th at a weight I don't fight at, rankings are a load of crap! pic.twitter.com/9DAWHnzJDf — Paddy Barnes (@paddyb_ireland) November 3, 2015
Hi @paddyb_ireland, AIBA World Rankings doesn't include WSB rankings. Only AOB competitions give points. Hope to see you soon in the ring!
— AIBA (@AIBA_Boxing) November 3, 2015
