Naoya Inoue will formally defend his undisputed tremendous bantamweight championship in opposition to TJ Doheny on September third on the Ariake Area in Tokyo, Japan. The occasion will likely be proven reside on ESPN+.
The occasion will likely 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 current 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, dropping to those fighters:
– Sam Goodman
– Michael Conlan
– Ionuț Băluță
– Danny Roman
It solely took Inoue one yr to win all of the belts at 122 and change 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 change 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,” stated High 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 combating 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).
Gentle 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, dropping 4 occasions.
Some followers really feel that Inoue’s rationale for taking this combat is to avenge his fellow countrymen’s losses after Doheny’s current 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 combat Australians will take pleasure in.
Many followers need Inoue to remain at 122 for another combat in opposition to Murodjon Akhmadaliev, after which transfer as much as 126 to face the highest fighters in that division. There are a minimum of six guys in that weight class that might probably beat Inoue, which may be one purpose why he’s hesitant about shifting up. Life is less complicated for Inoue combating at 122 in opposition to the likes of Doheny.
