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“What More Could You Want?” asks Danny Roman ahead of TJ Doheny Unification


‘What more could you want?’ asks Danny Roman echoing TJ Doheny’s belief that pair’s unification bout could prove something special.

The WBA and IBF super bantamweight world champions clash in a unification battle at The Forum in Inglewood, Los Angeles on Friday April 26th – and, like his Irish rival, the American is adamant the bout can’t but entertain.

“It’s going to be a heck of a fight. Two World Champions fighting for control of the division. What more could you want?” he asked following the announcement of the Matchroom DAZN show.

While the LA fighter claims the clash has everything the fans may want to see, he also suggests it has all the ingredients to make the perfect opportunity and platform for him.

Roman [26(10)-2(0)-1] was one of the standout fighters of 2018, winning a wide points decision in the first defense of his WBA crown in Japan over Ryo Matsumoto in February and followed that with another authoritative points triumph over Moises Flores in Frisco, Dallas in June.

He then punctuated his year’s work by stopping Brit challenger Gavin McDonnell in the tenth round of their clash on the first American boxing bill live on DAZN in October.

However, he believes his clash with Portlaoise BC graduate Doheny [21(15)-0] is the one that can help him take a massive step toward real stardom.

“This is the biggest and most important fight of my career,” noted Roman.

“I haven’t been shy about wanting to unifying the division. This is the fight that I’ve been asking for since I became a World Champion. I need to deliver on my goal of becoming the best and a win against another World Champion puts me in that conversation.

“It will be a new experience for me because I’m not fighting a challenger, I’m fighting another belt holder. It’s exciting in a lot of ways. I’ll be at my best because I’m planning to add another title on April 26.”

Another bonus for the WBA title holder is the fact the bout plays out in his home town and he is delighted to be fighting back in LA.

“It feels pretty damn good to fight in front of my hometown fans. My last five fights have been away from home, but I don’t feel any added pressure in this homecoming of sorts. I know I have a job to do. Nothing is easy at this point.”

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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