At the Ariake Arena in Koto-Ku (Tokyo), Ireland’s TJ “The Power” Doheny (26-5-0, 20 KOs) defied the expectations of many experts by lasting six rounds against hometown hero Naoya “The Monster” Inoue (28-0-0, 25 KOs) and delivering a more than respectable performance. However, the Japanese fighter eventually won by technical knockout at the beginning of the seventh round when the challenger, visibly struggling, had to wave the white flag, citing an injury. With this victory, Inoue retained the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF super bantamweight world titles.
The fight began with both boxers exercising great caution. Doheny was undoubtedly aware of the brutal power of his highly decorated opponent, while Inoue likely wanted to avoid making the same mistake that cost him a heavy knockdown against Luis Nery four months ago.
After two rounds with few significant actions, where Inoue kept the center of the ring, applying light pressure and throwing occasional combinations interspersed with long pauses, it was surprisingly Doheny who first shifted into high gear. The Irishman had an excellent third round, landing some well-crafted shots to the body and head, while continuously circling to avoid close exchanges.
An unusually listless Inoue regained control in the latter half of the fourth round but seemed once again puzzled by the elusive boxing style of his challenger in the following round. Doheny demonstrated excellent evasiveness, narrowly dodging several powerful blows and immediately countering with his own hooks and uppercuts, to the point where the heavily favored Inoue appeared reluctant to raise the pace and intensity of the fight.
However, that impression was decisively dispelled by Inoue in the sixth round. The Japanese fighter finally abandoned the ultra-conservative approach he had employed until that point and began to bombard his opponent with heavy punches, not giving him time or space to recover. Doheny managed to avoid being overwhelmed, showing resilience and a strong chin, but he ended the round visibly exhausted and in pain.
The conclusion came just 16 seconds into the seventh round. Inoue landed a left uppercut to the belt line, and immediately after, Doheny touched his back, began to limp noticeably, and signaled to the referee that he could not continue. The initial impression was that the Irishman had suffered a muscle injury, but from what had been seen in the previous three minutes, the knockout was likely imminent regardless.
It was a less dazzling performance than usual for “The Monster,” but even though he didn’t appear devastating throughout the entire match, he always kept the situation under control, stepping up when he deemed the time was right. As confirmed by Bob Arum after the fight, Inoue will make his final defense of the unified titles at the end of the year in Japan before returning to the United States, where he will attempt to capture the featherweight belts.
TJ Doheny also deserves applause for his performance. At nearly 38 years old, he stepped into the ring without fear against one of the strongest fighters on the planet and managed to showcase good skills despite predictions that he would be swept away in just a few minutes. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Irishman earned more significant opportunities and purses in the near future before hanging up his gloves.