Doheny loses ounce in an hour to make weight

TJ Doheny (right) is a former super-bantamweight world champion

TJ Doheny was given an hour to lose an ounce before successfully making weight for Saturday's world-title challenge against featherweight champion Nick Ball in Liverpool

Doheny, 38, weighed four ounces over the nine stone limit when he first stepped on the scales.

After stripping off his boxer shorts while covered by a black sheet, he was still an ounce too heavy.

Liverpool's WBA champion Ball, 28, did not take kindly to the challenger missing the weight and the pair exchanged words and a light push at the face-off.

Doheny was then held back by security before he willingly left the stage at Liverpool's Box Park.

The Irishman weighed in at exactly nine stone behind closed doors within the hour.

Australia-based Doheny is contesting his second consecutive world-title challenge after he was beaten by Japan's undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue in September.

A former super-bantamweight champion himself, Doheny has won 26 pro fights and lost five in a 13-year career.

Ball will headline at the M&S Bank Arena for the second time after he stopped American Ronny Rios in October.

Kirkby-born Ball has won 21 fights and drawn one since making his debut in a Liverpool nightclub in 2017.

Doheny initially missed weight, weighing an ounce over the limit

Security had to keep the rivals apart in the final face-off

Ball rarely gets involved in verbal exchanges with his opponent, but took issue with Doheny after he missed weight

Eventually Doheny was dragged away from the face-off