Jack Bateson is hoping to belatedly announce himself to the boxing world when he travels to Ireland to face Irish hero, Michael Conlan, at Dublin’s 3Arena on September 5.

The 10-round featherweight fight will be televised by Channel 5.

Bateson seems to have been around forever and whilst he still looks younger than his 31 years, he has endured his share of frustrations and disappointments.

He was just seven years old when he first hit pads with his father, Mark, and the pair are still working together.

Back in 2017, Bateson (20-1, 6 KOs) made his debut on one of the small hall shows his father regularly stages at the Banqueting Suite at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium and he has continued to appear on them throughout his career.

Finally, they have been given a long overdue chance to perform on a major stage.

It hasn’t been easy and a stand alone victory over former world title challenger, Conlan (19-3, 9 KOs), won’t instantly make the years of sacrifice worth it. What it will do is put Bateson in an excellent position to finally capitalise on the hard work he has put in.

"It’ll mean the world. My dad stuck by me through thick and thin. Through the good and the bad as a father should and does but he's my inspiration,” Bateson told The Ring.

"I want to achieve for me but for my dad as well. I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for boxing so I'm achieving for myself, but my family and the Bateson name.

“This is my chance. This is my ticket. It's on me now, there's no excuses. I've just got to go there and make my dreams come true.”

Bateson was a top class amateur who spent years in the Team GB set-up. He competed at European and World championships at both junior and senior levels and just missed out on a spot at the Rio Olympics in 2016. He was even selected to receive a Sky Sports scholarship and was regularly featured on the network.

After turning professional he appeared on a number of Josh Warrington undercards - winning every time - and seemed well positioned to to pick up the torch and carry the sport in the city once “The Leeds Warrior” decided to hang up his gloves.

But things never quite panned out the way everybody seemed to think they would.

In November 2022 he was stopped in the twelfth and final round of a hard fought battle with future IBO junior featherweight champion, Shabaz Masoud, and has spent almost three years working his way back to prominence.

“You do need a bit of luck in this game,” he said.

“I've worked as hard as anyone in this sport and I feel like I've probably done a similar route to some of these superstars. I’ve been on Team GB and won medals at international tournaments. When I turned over, I built my way up on my dad's shows and the small, little shows and won the English title. Then I won the WBA Intercontinental and I got beat by a world champion and not many opportunities have come. They’re here now and I just need to make the most of this.

“Everyone loves a winner as they always say and when you're in the changing rooms after a win, your phone doesn't stop ringing but, if it's just you and your coach in there and you've just lost, that phone doesn't ring.”

For a long time, former Olympians carried British boxing on their backs. Times have changed and, these days, major British shows are dominated by fighters who didn’t turn over with a host of amateur medals and have instead had to force their way into position and grasp every opportunity that came their way.

Bateson is unusual in that he has that top level amateur background and benefitted from spending years in the Team GB amateur set-up but has also had to grit his teeth and take the long road to a major opportunity.

A victory over Conlan will make the perseverance all the sweeter.

“I think no matter who achieves what in this sport, they deserve it but those that come up through the small hall shows, they have to really graft to get there,” he said.

“It really is something we've earned and it's my plan on winning on September 5th and then being able to say, 'Listen, I've worked hard for this.'

“That's the plan.”