TJ Doheny secures NEW World title final eliminator

Portlaoise super bantamweight TJ Doheny [17(13)-0] has secured a new date for his IBF world title final eliminator.

There was disappointment last week for Doheny, who was due to face former IBF featherweight champ Evgeny Gradovich [23(16)-2(2)-1] on Friday December 15th. This bout was shelved when the fight in Ekaterinberg was cancelled after the Russian has pulled out due to career-threatening vision problems.

Doheny is ranked third with the IBF and Gradovich had been ranked sixth, and the winner would have became mandatory challenger and face champion Ryosuke Iwasa of Japan in the new year.

With Gradovich off the table, Doheny went down the rankings to find the next able, eligible, and willing opponent.

That was IBF #7 Mike Tawatchi [44(27)-10(2)] of Thailand and a bout had been mooted for Sunday December 24th in China.

However today it has been concerned that Doheny will, as he had been preparing for beforehand anway, be going into the lion’s den.

Rather than snowy Central Russia though, ‘The Power’ will now fight in South East Asian and has confirmed that he will box Tawatchi in Bangkok on Wednesday December 20th.

Doheny noted how it was a case of “crisis averted!”

“Unbelievable work by my team this week managing to pull it out of the fire.”