Joshua: Jamie McDonnell to defend WBA bantamweight title on Sky Sports Box Office
Friday 1 April 2016 13:24, UK
Jamie McDonnell will defend his world title against Mexican Juan Alberto Rosas on the Charles Martin versus Anthony Joshua undercard.
The WBA bantamweight champion will put his title on the line for the fourth time at The O2, on April 9, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
McDonnell (27-2-1-KO12) will take on former world super-flyweight champion called 'The Monster' in his first fight back in Britain since the end of 2014, after back-to-back bouts.
If I win next Saturday there have been talks of the Juan Carlos Payano fight for the Super title, there is also the Lee Haskins fight out there
"I cannot tell you how good it feels to be back fighting in the UK," said McDonnell.
"It has been a long-time coming. Training has been perfect, I am feeling a million dollars and I am looking forward to putting on a great performance and showing everyone what I am about.
"I have had a full camp, I have been in the gym for 20 weeks and I have known for the last eight weeks that I would be on this show, so we have been training towards April 9 for a while."
Rosas (41-9-KO28) won the IBF super-flyweight title at the second attempt in 2010, but is now moving up a weight to take on the world's No 1 bantamweight. The Mexican has beaten Zolani Tete, who went on to take the IBF world title away from Paul Butler and has also beaten Alejandro Gonzalez Jr, the man who put Carl Frampton down twice in the first round of his world super-bantamweight title defence last year.
McDonnell has talked above moving up into the super-bantamweight division to fight Frampton and Scott Quigg, but the Doncaster twin is more than happy to stay at 118lbs and prove he is the best bantamweight around.
"If I win next Saturday there have been talks of the Juan Carlos Payano fight for the Super title, there is also the Lee Haskins fight out there," he said.
"I wouldn't mind fighting Shinsuke Yamanaka as it is me or him who is the best in the division and that would be for the green belt, so there are some big fights there at bantamweight, but I have to get next Saturday out of the way fights.
"I don't like to jinx myself and all I am thinking about is April 9."
McDonnell's confirmation completes has a hat-trick of world title fights on April 9, with IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby defending against mandatory challenger Eric Hunter and Joshua challenging IBF heavyweight champion Martin.
The bill also included super-middleweight star George Groves taking on unbeaten David Brophy, British middleweights Brian Rose and Matthew Macklin in a crossroads fight, while hot prospect Ohara Davies takes on Andy Keates for the vacant English lightweight title, while Conor Benn, son of British boxing legend Nigel, makes his professional debut.
Charles Martin vs Anthony Joshua, live on Sky Sports Box Office on April 9, is available to order via online.
