Naoya Inoue will formally defend his undisputed tremendous bantamweight championship in opposition to TJ Doheny on September third on the Ariake Enviornment in Tokyo, Japan. The occasion might be proven reside on ESPN+.
The occasion might be proven early within the morning for U.S. followers, so those that select to look at will want espresso.
Doheny, no spring hen at 37, has latest wins over Bryl Bayogos, Japhethlee Llamido, and Kazuki Nakajima. They’re not family names, and it’s unclear why he was pushed up the rankings after these wins.
Doheny had been overwhelmed repeatedly from 2019 to 2023, shedding to those fighters:
– Sam Goodman
– Michael Conlan
– Ionuț Băluță
– Danny Roman
It solely took Inoue one 12 months to win all of the belts at 122 and develop into the undisputed tremendous bantamweight Champion. Nonetheless, the division is weak, which made Inou’s job a lot simpler than if he’d tried to do the identical factor at featherweight or light-weight.
Inoue defeated these fighters to develop into the undisputed at 122:
– Marlon Tapales
– Stephen Fulton
“Naoya Inoue is a generational expertise, and each time he fights, the boxing world stops to look at the grasp at work,” mentioned Prime Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “TJ Doheny is a veteran who can by no means be counted out, as he’s defied the percentages many occasions when preventing in Japan.”
Within the co-feature on the Inoue-Doheny card on September third, WBO bantamweight world champion Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs) faces Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KOs).
Mild welterweight contender Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23 KOs) fights Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18 KOs).
It’s unclear why Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) is utilizing the 37-year-old Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs). He’s been overwhelmed fairly just a few occasions within the final 5 years, shedding 4 occasions.
Some followers really feel that Inoue’s rationale for taking this struggle is to avenge his fellow countrymen’s losses after Doheny’s latest comeback, which got here after wins over Japanese fighters, albeit not top-level.
It’s believed that after Inoue defends in opposition to Doheny, he’ll defend in opposition to his #1 IBF and #1 WBO contender Sam Goodman. That’s a struggle Australians will get pleasure from.
Many followers need Inoue to remain at 122 for another struggle in opposition to Murodjon Akhmadaliev, after which transfer as much as 126 to face the highest fighters in that division. There are no less than six guys in that weight class that would probably beat Inoue, which could be one motive why he’s hesitant about shifting up. Life is simpler for Inoue preventing at 122 in opposition to the likes of Doheny.
