“Naoya Inoue Dominates against TJ Doheny in a Draw: Undisputed Title Retains”
September 3, 2024 – Tokyo, Japan. Naoya Inoue retained the undisputed super-bantamweight champion by unanimous decision against TJ Doheny. The challenger had to quit the fight in the seventh round due to a back injury. The event was hosted at the Tokyo Dome on September 2, 2024.
Japanese boxing sensation Inoue followed up with his 28th consecutive victory. Dominant in performance, the match was ended well before the time could expire as an in-a-large-way struggling Doheny went down to his knee and gestured he could not continue.
The 37-year-old Irish challenger had gone into the ring with high expectations but found an opponent in Inoue who would give him little quarter. Right from the outset, Inoue was clearly on display with strong pressure supported by hard-hitting. While Doheny made his best efforts to contain what Inoue was able to give him, it soon became evident that the quality and craft of the champion were taking their charge.
By the sixth, Inoue’s body work was clearly taking a toll on Doheny. Marked up and straining in his movements, the challenger was able to take a significant overhead right from Inoue in the round. The round ended with Doheny clutching at his lower back; an injury that would later force him out of the fight.
Still in the seventh, Inoue was aggressively coming forward. Doheny tried to fight him off but soon showed that the back injury would not let him continue with the fight. The referee stopped the fight after just 16 seconds of the seventh for Inoue by TKO.
This less-than-dramatic end to the fight was an anticlimax for the fans, who had been expecting a longer contest. Doheny, visibly in pain, limped out of the ring with the help of his corner and declined a post-fight interview.
Afterwards, Inoue spoke about the fight with a mix of emotions. “This fight didn’t end how we expected, but fighting a long career like this, this is a night we might have,” he said through a translator. “I want to celebrate how TJ Doheny brought the fight into this ring.” The muted celebration aside, the victory further cements Inoue’s reputation as one of the sport’s elite fighters.
This victory gives Inoue his 23rd world title fight since turning pro in 2014 and his seventh consecutive title defense in his native Japan. Inoue’s promoter Bob Arum announced that Inoue will defend his titles once again in Tokyo at the end of the year before he takes a leap across the ocean to the United States of America. “We’re taking him to the United States for a big celebration in Las Vegas,” Arum revealed.
Doheny presented a stern test for Inoue, the former champion in light flyweight, super flyweight, and bantamweight divisions. The Irishman proved many people wrong, with his experience and razor-sharp movements making this bout so much more competitive. Doheny was good enough to make life somewhat tough for Inoue, clearly taking the third round with a strong body shot and a fast combination upstairs.
It was, however, the relentless pressure and tactical acumen of Inoue that finally wore him down. Come the fourth, Doheny was being forced to spend most his time on the ropes, trying to fend off Inoue’s attack. The accumulation of punishment became such a sight in the fight that Doheny was hurt.
The victory now improves Inoue’s professional record to 28-0, while Doheny now stands at 26-5. The fight was the first time in his professional career that Doheny did not go the distance.
Inoue is expected to face Sam Goodman of Australia, the mandatory challenger for his IBF super-bantamweight title, later this year in Tokyo. How Inoue can keep going and stretch his supremacy inside the ring is something with which fans and pundits alike will be paying great attention.
