After a spirited first round, the two boxers ended the round tied up in the corner. After the bell, Doheny held onto a headlock for a few extra seconds and Ball took such offense that once he was free,

The Liverpudlian emerged from a scrappy, ugly fight with TJ Doheny, in which he escaped punishment after kicking out at his opponent, to stand in line to face Japan’s legendary four-weight world champ

On March 15 at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, Nick Ball (21-0-1, 13 KOs) successfully defended his WBA featherweight championship against TJ Doheny (26-6, 20 KOs).