Conlan beats Doheny by unanimous decision to win WBA interim featherweight world title

Michael Conlan now boasts a professional record of 16-0 after Friday night's win over TJ Doheny.

The Belfast native, fighting in front of a loyal home crowd of 8,000 in Falls Park, was in control for the duration, and his dominance was reflected by the judge's scorecards.

One gave it to Conlan 119-108, with the other two marking it 116-111 in his favour.

Doheny find it almost impossile to get close to Conlan, who kept him at bay with his jab. Conlan also forced Doheny to take an 8-count after a barrage of body shots in the 5th round.

It's an important victory for Conlan as it opens up several doors.

He's secured the interim title which means he could seek a mandatory shot at the outright WBA featherweight title, currently held by British fighter Leigh Wood.

However, Conlan may instead fancy dropping back down to super-bantamweight and fighting the winner of Stephen Fulton and Brandon Figueroa, who clash for the WBO World title in September.