BARROW boxer Liam Conroy’s light heavyweight Golden Contract semi-final at York Hall has been postponed after the British Boxing Board of Control cancelled all events under their jurisdiction.

Boxing has become the latest sport hit by the coronavirus pandemic in this country, with the Olympic qualifying event at London’s Copperbox Arena being cut short.

Conroy had been due to discover who he’d be facing on Friday out of Hosea Burton, Serge Michel or Ricards Bolotniks when the semi-final draw was made yesterday afternoon.

A statement from Conroy’s promoters, MTK Global, said: “Throughout the build-up, the interests of the fighters were at the forefronts of both our minds and our efforts to go ahead in the knowledge each and every pay-day is important for them and the families they provide for.

“The ongoing pandemic in the UK means that the full weight of medical care must be thrown behind the NHS and we fully support all decisions taken to ensure people get the best advice, treatment and care as soon as possible.

“The Golden Contract light-heavyweight semi-finals will take place at a later date and we look forward to bringing big-time boxing back to as many venues and as many TV screens as quickly as we can.”

Conroy, who had been given extra time off work by BAE Systems in order to train for the bout, had reached the semi-finals after defeating Londoner Andre Sterling on points in impressive fashion in December.

The 27-year-old was looking for another big victory at York Hall, where he won the English light heavyweight title in 2017.

He was one of the remaining four fighters competing for the Golden Contract.

This is a two-year, five-fight deal with a guaranteed six-figure purse which was also being competed for in the featherweight and super lightweight divisions.