Nick Ball will defend his featherweight title against TJ Doheny on March 15

Nick Ball

The all-action Nick Ball will defend his WBA featherweight title against Ireland’s TJ Doheny at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on March 15, it was announced today.

The 27-year-old Ball, who hails from Liverpool, is unbeaten in 22 pro fights and the only blemish on his record to date is a draw against Rey Vargas in March. Since then, he has beaten Ray Ford, which delivered him his current belt, and also Ronny Rios, whom he stopped in 10 rounds.

For Doheny, meanwhile, this title shot against Ball represents a move up in weight. Last time out, when down at super bantamweight, he was stopped inside seven rounds by Naoya Inoue. Now 38, Doheny, 26-5 (20), likely knows this his final shot at world title glory.

Given their respective styles, the featherweight clash between Ball and Doheny could be an exciting one.