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World Title Unification fight CONFIRMED for TJ Doheny


TJ Doheny‘s World title unification fight has finally been confirmed.

The Portlaoise super bantam is Ireland’s only current reigning world champion, holding the IBF title and he will look to add the WBA strap to his collection in his next outing.

It has been announced this afternoon by Eddie Hearn that Doheny [21(15)-0] will face WBA champion and Matchroom stablemate Danny Roman [26(10)-2(0)-1] at The Forum in Los Angeles on Friday April 26th.

The bout will be shown live in America on the DAZN streaming platform and on Sky Sports on this side of the world.

The fight acts as the chief support/co-headliner to Srisaket Sor Rungvasai’s WBC super flyweight title defence versus Juan Estrada, a repeat of the pair’s 2018 Fight of the Year contender.

The card has been mooted for many weeks, with April 6th having been the suggested date, but April 26th has been today confirmed.

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Doheny won his world title last August when he sensationally dethroned Ryosuke Iwasa, who has since risen back to the mandatory position, at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo via unanimous decision.

A surprise link-up with Hearn was annoucned at the start of the year and Doheny, who had sustained a broken thumb in his world title win, made a sudden first defence against v Japanese brawler Ryohei Takahashi at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in January where he scored an eleventh-round stoppage.

Following the win over Takahashi, the 32-year-old had a cordial coming together with Roman in the ring with the new stablemates both expressing their desire for the unification which has now been delivered.

Like Doheny, 28-year-old Roman won his belt from the away corner in Japan, stopping Shun Kubo in nine Kyoto in September 2017.

However, at this time, Cuban maestro Guillermo Rigondeaux held the organisation’s much-maligned ‘Super’ title and was considered the champion. ‘El Chacal’ was stripped after his loss to Vasyl Lomachenko in December 2017 and Roman has been considered champion since, with wins over Ryo Matsumoto, Moises Flores, and Gavin McDonnell in 2018.

A mandatory defence versus Murodjon Akhmadaliev, the 2015 World Championships final opponent of Mick Conlan, was due but an exception was made to facilitate the unification – with the victor being bound to defending against the powerful Uzbek within 90 days.

The Sydney-based Doheny will be looking to become the fourth ever unified champ from these shores following former amateur opponent Carl Frampton (IBF-WBA super bantam) and Matchroom stablemates Ryan Burnett (IBF-WBA bantam) and Katie Taylor (WBA-IBA lightweight who also fights for the WBO belt next month).

‘The Power’ is currently back home in Ireland but will soon return to training camp in Boston with coach Hector Bermudez.

The card in just over eight weeks time will feature undercard support from Jessie Vargas, Scott Quigg, Carlos Cuadras, Anthony Sims Jr, Shakhram Giyasov, and Diego Pacheco

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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