DAILY SPORT sponsored WBA world bantamweight champ Jamie McDonnell will defend the title against Juan Alberto Rosas on the Anthony Joshua v Charles Martin world heavyweight title clash st London’s o2 on April 9.
McDonnell who got off the canvas to retain his title against Tomoki Kameda last May and then floored the Jap in the re-match is raring to go and defend the title again on home soil after the 2 Kameda fights in the USA.
“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 has won World titles before, he beat Tete in a World title eliminator who is a top fighter and Gonzalez, who gave Carl Frampton a great World title fight, so he has mixed it with the best and is very experienced.
“He will bring a lot to the table. He is only 31 so he will still be hungry and he will want it. I hope we can put on a great fight and I am 100 per cent confident that I can beat him.
“I am really looking forward to it. I watched Froch vs. Kessler at The O2 and I cannot wait to box there myself. It’s a huge night and I am ready to show everyone what I am about and I cannot wait for it.
“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 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.”