Doherty Stepping Up
Jarrett Doherty is preparing to step up again after a keep-busy contest to get himself back in the groove.
His second outing of 2022 comes at the Eastside Rooms, on Woodcock Street in Birmingham, headlining a Friday fight night that’s set for September 30.
The 32-year-old Brummie, from Bordesley Green, resumed his pro career after a near four-year absence in June, outpointing Josh Cook.
‘Dayne-Ja’ worked towards a points whitewash success, over four rounds, and had his hand raised through a 40-36 whitewash verdict, at the final bell.
Doherty had coach Spencer McCracken in the corner, for the first time, as he levelled up his pro record to 2-2, five years on from debuting.
That was also a points landslide, vanquishing Victor Edagha, before jumping up to a six-rounder against 7-0 prospect Jake Haigh in 2018.
Doherty lost his ‘0’ that night, but earned respect as he pushed Haigh to the finish before being edged out by a point, due to a 58-57 decision.
All of eight days later, he was back in the ring to tackle Corey Jackson and was poleaxed by a right hand, in the third round, leading to a KO defeat.
Doherty didn’t take up boxing until the age of 20 and embarked on an amateur journey with Eastside Boxing Club, which saw him amass 21 bouts of experience.
He said: “I’m just trying to get active and busy, but I haven’t endured a lot of damage from boxing over the years, because I’ve always looked after myself.
“I’m a bit of a gym rat, I’ve always been one of the fittest lads in the gym and I eat healthily, because I enjoy the process of getting ready for a fight.
“I think that 80 per cent of me would beat a lot of opponents, at my level, and I’m doing everything the right way now. I’m not naive.
“I’m focussed on getting another win, but I’m also looking to get a Midlands title fight. River (Wilson Bent) has the belt, but I think I’m a bit too high risk for him.
“There have been a few names bandied about, so I know who is about and none of it is out of my remit. I’ve already done a six-rounder, so I’ve gone past four rounds.
“It was a blessing to be back in the ring last time, but some of that was me going through the motions. These journeymen can be difficult to look good against.
“With my style, I need to be in there with someone who will engage with me but, at least, I didn’t feel ring rust. It was an easy win, even if I didn’t learn anything.
“I’m always sparring, I did rounds with Tyler Denny (English middleweight champion) and Ben Whittaker (Olympic silver medallist, now a pro) in my last camp.
“This time, I’ve sparred with Danny Ball (highly-rated fellow professional) and he’s a quality operator. These are guys who should be levels above me, but I’m competing.
“I’m even thinking about taking a tough fight away from home, because I’m a lot more concentrated than I used to be. That might be the way to climb up the rankings.”
Tickets for the Eastside Rooms bill are available, priced at £40 standard or £75 VIP ringside with buffet and waitress service, directly from the boxers or by visiting myfighttickets.com.
