Naoya Inoue (left) and TJ Doheny are set for his or her RING/undisputed 122-pound championship on September 3 in Tokyo. Photograph credit score: Naoki Fukuda
Naoya Inoue will enter his newest title battle on the heaviest weight of his already legendary profession.
The RING and undisputed junior featherweight champion clocked in proper at 122 kilos, whereas TJ Doheny weighed 121 ½ kilos. Their scheduled twelve-round championship contest headlines an ESPN+ present Tuesday from Ariake Enviornment in Tokyo, Japan.
Yokohama’s Inoue (27-0, 24 knockouts) has weighed slightly below the divisional restrict for every of his three earlier fights on the weight.
The Ring’s No. 2-rated pound-for-pound fighter was 121.7 kilos in his eighth-round knockout of unbeaten Stephen Fulton final July 25. The win got here with the WBC and WBO titles as he turned a four-division titlist and Japan’s first-ever two-division unified champ. He then weighed 121.6 kilos versus Marlon Tapales, whom he stopped within the tenth spherical to totally unify the 122-pound division final Dec. 26. With the win, Inoue additionally earned his second RING championship.
Each fights passed off at Ariake Enviornment. He moved into the Tokyo Dome for the venue’s first boxing occasion since 1990. Inoue was 121 ¾ kilos for his off-the-canvas, sixth-round knockout of Luis Nery (35-2, 27 KOs) on Could 6. Tuesday’s protection versus Doheny will mark his 21st profession battle with a minimum of one main title battle at stake. He beforehand held the WBC 108-pound, WBO 115-pound titles and the RING/undisputed 118-pound championship.
Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) enters his first title battle in additional than 5 years.
The Irish southpaw—who is predicated in New South Wales, Australia—beforehand held the IBF 122-pound title. He gained the belt in his first profession battle in Japan, when he decisioned Ryosuke Iwasa in Aug. 2018. One profitable protection adopted earlier than he misplaced an April 2019 thriller to Daniel Roman in Inglewood, California.
A transfer as much as featherweight produced blended outcomes, and his return to 122 resulted in a factors loss to unbeaten Sam Goodman final March 12 in Sydney. Three wins on the weight have since adopted, all in Japan and every ending in knockout. He earned a fourth-round stoppage of Bryl Bayogos (7-0-1 on the time) on the Inoue-Nery undercard in Could.
Beneath are the weights for the remainder of the undercard
Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs), Yokohama, 117 ¾ kilos
Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KOs), Tokyo, 117 ¾ kilos
12 rounds, for Takei’s WBO bantamweight title
Yoshiki Takei and Daigo Higa bow and shake fingers after they every make weight. Photograph credit score: Naoki Fukuda
Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23 KOs), Miami through El Tigre, Venezuela, 140 kilos
Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18 KOs), Yokohama, 140 kilos
12 rounds, for Barroso’s interim WBA junior welterweight title
Ismael Barroso and Andy Hiraoka face off after making weight. Barroso defends interim WBA 140-pound title on September 3 at Ariake Enviornment in Tokyo. Yoshiki Takei and Daigo Higa bow and shake fingers after they every make weight. Photograph credit score: Naoki Fukuda
Jin Sasaki (17-1-1, 16 KOs), Tokyo, 146 ¼ kilos
Qamil Balla (15-1-1, 8 KOs), Victoria, Australia, 147 kilos
12 rounds, welterweight
Toshiki Shimomachi (18-1-3, 12 KOs), Osaka, Japan 122 kilos
Ryuya Tsugawa (13-1, 9 KOs), Osaka, 121 3/4 kilos
10 rounds, junior featherweight
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