Nick Ball will defend his WBA featherweight title against TJ Doheny in Ball’s home city of Liverpool on Saturday. The fight promises to be a spectacular occasion for Wrecking Ball in front of his adoring home fans. We look ahead to the contest and name our boxing betting picks in our Ball vs. Doheny fight preview.
- Who: Nick Ball (C) vs. TJ Doheny
- What: WBA featherweight title
- Where: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England
- When: Saturday, March 15th, 2025
- Ring Walks: 5.20 pm ET
The big fights keep coming in 2025. Already we’ve had Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol and Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach, and now it’s the turn of Nick Ball to showcase his skills to the world when he takes on TJ Doheny in Liverpool, England.
Nick Ball is making the transition from up-and-coming boxer to the real deal. He is now the WBA featherweight title holder and will be making his second defense of his title on Saturday, with his first also taking place at this venue.
Ball won the title against Raymond Ford in Saudi Arabia on the undercard billed as the ‘Day of Reckoning’.
The fight wasn’t Ball’s first appearance at a Riyadh Season event. He previously fought Rey Vargas for the WBC featherweight title in March 2024. The fight was scored as a draw, much to the dismay of the fans watching, with most believing Ball was the clear winner.
"I was the aggressor. I thought I done enough to win."
Nick Ball devastated after coming so close to world title glory. ☹️#JoshuaNgannou - Live now pic.twitter.com/t7VUpMIOEk
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) March 8, 2024
Ball won’t have things all his own way on Saturday. TJ Doheny isn’t a fighter who can be taken lightly. The Irishman has 31 fights on his resume and has been in the ring with legends like Naoya Inoue.
The Power may have come up short in his world title fights. But he will be better for the experience and that makes him a dangerous opponent for Ball on Saturday.
Nick Ball vs. TJ Doheny Betting Odds
The latest boxing betting odds heavily favor a win for Nick Ball. The champion is -5000 to beat Doheny on the money line, meaning a props bet will be our betting pick. TJ Doheny is +1200 to pull off the biggest win of his career.
The fight is -120 to finish in under 9.5 rounds and -110 to last for more than 9.5 rounds.
| Ball vs. Doheny |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Ball | -5000 | -5000 | -5000 |
| TJ Doheny | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Under 9.5 Rounds | -120 | -120 | -120 |
| Over 9.5 Rounds | -110 | -110 | -110 |
In the props markets, the fight is +150 to go the distance and -200 to finish before the bell at the end of the 12th round. While in the Rounds Group Betting, the fight to finish in Rounds 1-6 is +260 and to finish in Rounds 7-12, you can get +140.
The method of victory betting is:
- Nick Ball to win by KO, TKO, or DQ -190
- Nick Ball to win by decision +175
- TJ Doheny to win by KO, TKO, or DQ +1600
- TJ Doheny to win by decision +2800
- The draw +2200
The odds are telling us that the betting sites are clearly favoring a stoppage win for Wrecking Ball.
For our odds, we have only used the best betting sites for wagering on boxing. You can read more about them on our Boxing Betting Online Apps 2025 page.
Nick Ball
- Nationality: British
- Age: 28
- Height: 5' 2"
- Reach: N/A
- Fight Record 21-0-1
Nick Ball first came to the attention of fight fans around the world when he fought Rey Vargas for his WBC featherweight title in Saudi Arabia 12 months ago. Many believed the busier Ball won the fight and literally no one in the arena could believe it when the fight was scored as a draw.
The powers that be were clearly impressed with Ball's no nonsense attitude and his non-stop front foot approach to the fight and he was quickly awarded a title fight against Raymond Ford for the WBA title.
Ball won on a split decision to claim the title. The Liverpudlian has since defended the title once in his home city, beating Ronny Rios with a tenth-round stoppage in October 2024.
TJ Doheny
- Nationality: Irish
- Age: 38
- Height: 5' 5.5"
- Reach: 68"
- Fight record: 26-5
TJ Doheny has been on the world stage for a number of years now. His consistent performances have seen him fight for world titles, but he always seems to come up short.
His last appearance in the ring was against Japan’s Naoya Inoue in September. Doheny was no match for the Japanese superstar and his night was ended early by a seventh-round TKO.
The defeat ended Doheny’s three-fight winning streak, but his performances of late have earned him an immediate chance to fight for a world title again.
Nick Ball vs. TJ Doheny Betting Picks and Predictions
TJ Doheny clearly has a size advantage, but being the smaller man has never been a problem for Nick Ball who uses his inferior height as a positive, by pounding his opponents with body shots.
Wrecking Ball’s cardio is second to none. He is constantly coming at his opponents. But as his record of 12 KO wins shows, he lacks that true knockout power possessed by the world’s elite fighters.
Nick Ball will win. We say he will wear Doheny down and stop him in the second half of the fight. Our pick is for the fight to end in Rounds 7-12 with a win for Ball.
Make sure you check out our top-rated sportsbooks below. These are our recommended Boxing betting partners that you can read more about on our Best Sportsbook Reviews 2025 page:
-
50% bonus up to $1000Play NowT&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
-
EXCLUSIVE BONUS 125% up to $3,125Play Now
T&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
-
50% up to $500Play Now
T&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
-
100% up to $1,000Play Now
T&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
-
50% bonus up to $1000Play Now
T&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
