Nick Ball (21-0-1, 12 KOs) and TJ Doheny (26-5, 20 KOs) will soon clash for featherweight gold.
Their bout headlines a Queensberry Promotions card at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Boxing fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland can catch the action live on TNT Sports. The rest of the world will be able to do so on DAZN. Ball will be defending his WBA featherweight title for the second time. He won the belt against Raymond Fordlast year in June.
Both men spoke at a press conference ahead of their March 15 world title clash. Below is some of what they said.
“Happy to be back fighting in the city,” said Ball. “Thanks to Frank [Warren] for putting the show on and it’s gonna be another special night.”
“They always talk a big game at these press conferences and interviews, but I don’t care what he’s done, if he’s been in with, what he’s done in his last fight to be honest. It’s all irrelevant. It’s in the past. He’s fighting me on Saturday night so just focused on that really.
“Good to be back,” said Doheny. “Straight back in at the top level again. That’s the kind of stuff that motivates you. It’s the stuff that gets you going. I’d like to thank everybody involved in presenting me with this opportunity. I’d like to thank my manager Mike Altamura, my coach and my team. Hector Bermudez at Universal Training in Springfield, MA, for sharpening me up and getting me ready for this and I’m looking forward to showcasing my skills in front of a very, very passionate Liverpool crowd at the weekend.
Doheny will be fighting in a weight class that he has little experience in. While he did have some good performances prior to his stoppage loss to Naoya Inoue, he is 38 and nearing the end of his career. It is highly unlikely that Doheny will be able to put on a winning performance against the reigning WBA featherweight champion. Expect Ball to win via stoppage somewhere in the middle rounds.
For the press conference in its entirety, click here or the play button below. Video courtesy of Queensberry Promotions.
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