Inoue Makes Doheny Quit In The Seventh; Plans To Fight In Vegas Next Year
Naoya Inoue made a successful second defense of his Undisputed Super Bantamweight Title, stopping TJ Doheny in the seventh.
It was another fight for Inoue in Japan from the Ariake Arena, and once again, the Japanese did not disappoint. It was a slow start in the opening round as both men were trying to read each other with their jab. However, it soon became clear that Inoue’s plan was to go to the body. Doheny connected with his right to the body. However, Inoue hit back with a left-hand counter before landing his jab to take the first, after shots to the body.
The right hand landed again in round two as Inoue was having success to the midsection. By the third round, he had established foot position as he controlled the center. Inoue’s crisp right hand got through to the body. However, Doheny found some success of his own. He connected with a body shot before switching upstairs to the head and then the body.
But Doheny was repeatedly getting hurt. Inoue’s jab was getting through in the fourth, causing the challenger to second-guess himself. The big round arrived in the sixth. Inoue backed up his man in the corner with the right hand, before letting his hands go. Doheny took a lot of punishment, but he made it to the end of the round.
He headed out for the seventh. Inoue was on the front foot again, landing a right hand before backing his man up in the corner. After throwing numerous rights and lefts, Doheny held his back as the referee stopped the fight following an injury. Inoue will now defend his belt in Japan once more before crossing over to America in 2025 to become a mainstream star.
Post-Fight
“[There was] an accumulation of damage that I did to him Tonight, I really wanted to go through the fight one round at a time. I wanted to slow down, hand my opponent damage. This fight didn’t end in the way we expected, but if you’re going to have a career like this, [maybe this can be useful]. I am still improving. [And] I want to acknowledge how TJ Doheny brought the fight tonight, and I want to celebrate his career,” Inoue
“I understand that he’ll defend his title in Tokyo at the end of the year, then we’re taking him to the United States for a big celebration in Las Vegas,” Bob Arum
Full Card
Naoya Inoue (c) def. TJ Doheny via TKO, Round 7 (0:16) – for IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine super bantamweight titles
Yoshiki Takei (c) def. Daigo Higa via unanimous decision (115-112, 114-113, 114-113) – for WBO bantamweight title
Andy Hiraoka def. Ismael Barroso via TKO, Round 9 (2:58) – Super lightweights
Jin Sasaki def. Qamil Balla via TKO, Round 7 (0:52) – Welterweights
Toshiki Shimomachi def. Ryuya Tsugawa via unanimous decision (97-92, 96-93, 96-93) – Super bantamweights
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