Undisputed tremendous bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) stopped a really old-looking TJ Doheny (26-5, 20 KOs) within the seventh spherical on Tuesday evening on the Ariake Enviornment, Tokyo, Japan.
The 37-year-old Irish native Doheny abruptly stop within the seventh spherical as a result of a decrease again damage. On the stoppage, Doheny had been leaning again towards the ropes, utilizing his ostrich-style protection, which put stress on his again.
A Much less Than Convincing Win
Doheny all of the sudden stop and limped across the ring, holding his decrease again. It wasn’t a lot of a struggle. The time of the stoppage was at 0:16 of spherical seven.
After a gradual begin, the larger fighter, Doheny, was on the assault in rounds 5 and 6, lighting Inoue up with pictures and discovering it surprisingly simple to hit him. The southpaw Doheny was catching Inoue at will with left palms thrown straight down the pipe, and it regarded really easy.
The Japanese star tried to make use of slightly head motion, but it surely was nowhere close to sufficient to keep away from getting nailed by Doheny’s left palms.
‘Monster’ Inoue’s offense was his protection within the fifth and sixth rounds, as he was pressured to veer away from his standard single-shot offense to throw extra punches, and he barely bought the higher of Doheny.
What made Inoue’s life simpler within the fifth and sixth was Doheny’s silly transfer to again up towards the nook and struggle from that vantage level. It was an newbie transfer, and Doheny ought to have identified higher as a result of he was at his greatest within the middle of the ring, attacking the very hittable Inoue.
Questionable Techniques
One factor that aggravated Dohoney was that Inoue hit him after the bell in a few rounds. He was seen complaining about it, but it surely didn’t change Inoue’s habits. The Japanese star wanted each benefit he might get tonight as a result of he regarded common.
Inoue, 31, was loading up on single pictures all through the seven-round contest, not throwing many punches and by no means combos. It regarded like he assumed that he would rating a single-punch knockout like he’d carried out combating within the 108, 112, 115, and 118-lb weight lessons.
Inoue’s energy was extra formidable combating in these divisions than it’s at 122, and he’s picked up some unhealthy habits from loading up on single pictures that at the moment are making his fights extra sophisticated at tremendous bantamweight.
A Fading “Monster”?
Tonight’s Inoue-Doheny struggle confirmed that Inoue isn’t the identical fighter he as soon as was within the decrease weight lessons; he’s aged, misplaced hand velocity, and isn’t the one-punch KO artist he’d been previously. That may clarify Inoue’s reluctance to climb to featherweight [126].
If Inoue strikes as much as 126, the killers—Bruce Carrington, Angelo Leo, Rafael Espinoza, Rey Vargas, Robeisy Ramirez, Nick Ball, and Brandon Figueroa—will beat him badly.
All seven of these fighters will beat ‘Monster’ Inoue and make it look simple. I doubt that Inoue will transfer as much as 126 as a result of he is aware of he’d be overmatched towards these gifted fighters.
He’d reasonably play it secure, combating within the lifeless 122-lb division, incomes a pleasant residing in Tokyo, Japan, and beating the lesser fighters on this weight class. It’s a lot safer for Inoue at tremendous bantamweight than going as much as 126 and getting the residing daylights crushed out of him by Carrington, Leo, Espinoza, Robeisy, and Ball. These guys are lots higher than Inoue.
I don’t blame Inoue. He’s bought good a great, making tens of millions in Japan, beating outdated scrubs like we noticed tonight, and never having to take care of fighters that will tear him aside at featherweight. I’d do the identical factor if I had been Inoue. Take the simple cash towards the lesser fighters at 122 and keep away from taking dangers.
Inoue’s Future at Featherweight
If Inoue strikes as much as 126, he received’t final a minute as soon as he will get in with the primary inhabitants on this division. He received’t be protected anymore and will likely be among the many killers. What we noticed tonight is Inoue is a hype job and never the fighter that the naive followers had thought.
He’s a one-trick pony who bought over being extra highly effective than the lesser opposition within the decrease weight lessons, however he’s now being uncovered at 122, and it’ll get a lot worse for him if he goes as much as 126.
Inoue will likely be put below a microscope at featherweight, exhibiting all his defects and flaws for the followers to see if he chooses to step out of his consolation zone and transfer as much as featherweight to tackle the abilities in that well-stocked division.
