Golden Goose TJ Doheny looking to raise the bar after Danny Roman fight

TJ Doheny [21(15)-0] has an attitude that is rather unique among fighters.

The IBF super bantameight champion has dived into a unification, taking on WBA titlist Danny Roman in Los Angeles tomorrow night, and doesn’t plan on stopping there.

The Laois fighter has eyes on the WBC and WBO belts currently held by Rey Vargas and Emanuel Navarrete respectively – not to mention the featherweight division.

Doheny isn’t looking past Roman, far from it, but admits that constant progression is all he wants following years of positioning and posturing.

The Porlaoise puncher explained how “I always say you could lay golden eggs and people still wouldn’t be happy. If you get through this, people are still going to want you to be undisputed, that’s fine, you raise the bar again.”

“Become undisputed? Then you have to move up and become two-weight World champion. These are all the things in the future, but tomorrow night is all that’s on my mind.”

“Fair play to Danny for taking the unification on, it’s what the fans want, it’s what we both want, and it’s great for boxing. You want to unify the division and cement your name at the top.”

“We’ve got the same mindset, the one that every fighter should have – once you become a world champion, it’s time to prove who is the best in the division.”

“We’re the top two guys in the division. He wants to unify, I want to unify, it’s what all the top champions should want to do. I keep saying – you win the world title and it’s a dream come true, but then you have got to raise the bar.

While it is two champions putting their belts on the line, the oddsmakers see it as a one-sided fight – with Doheny a 5/1 underdog

The 32-year-old southpaw, however, is confident of winning what he predicts will be an exciting fight.

“My prediction? Fireworks,” said Doheny.

“It’s going to be an exciting fight between myself and Danny. It’s not my style to predict too much, but the fans can expect a great fight. I know Danny is going to bring it and you better believe that I am more than ready for anything he brings.”

“I think the styles are really going to gel well. Danny likes to come forward, I like to be a craftsman and counter-punch but, trust me, I can stand and fight as well. The fans are in for a real firecracker.”

“When Danny challenged me in the ring in New York he said he had a lot of respect for me as I won the World title in Japan like he did. We have a similar story, he’s a respectful guy, he’s a great fighter, he’s got a great punch selection and he’s in his hometown so he’s going to bring it – but he has to bring his best.”

Having spent much of his career ‘under the radar’, Doheny is starting to get more attention.

It’s still relatively small scale in the overall scheme of things, but ‘The Power’ is appreciative.

Doheny described how “I’ve been getting a lot more exposure now, I expected some negative feedback maybe but it’s all been positive.”

“The support back in Ireland has been massive too through Sky Sports, people that know me will tell you that I don’t crave the attention, but I think it’s something I deserve having achieved what I achieved and in the fashion I did it in.

“I’m a bit of a road warrior. It’s exciting for me to be able to box in all these places like Tokyo, New York, Sydney, and now LA – I thrive on it. It’s the stuff of dreams and I’m here living it.”