IRELAND’S FORMER WORLD champion TJ Doheny will take on Japan’s Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue for the undisputed super-bantamweight title on 3 September.
Doheny, 37, who in 2018 became just the second ever Irish or British fighter (after Wayne McCullough) to win a world title on Japanese soil, will head for Tokyo six years later in pursuit of one of the greatest shocks in boxing history.
Inoue, considered one of the top three boxers in the world, pound-for-pound, is a four-weight world champion who has never tasted defeat in his professional career. The 31-year-old ‘Monster’ also boasts a near 90% knockout ratio, with 24 of his 27 wins coming inside the distance.
In his most recent bout in May, Inoue was dropped for the first time in his career by hard-hitting former beltholder Luis Nery before halting the Mexican in the sixth round.
Meanwhile, Doheny (26-4, 20KOs) brings a rich vein of form into his bout with Inoue having enjoyed an Indian summer to a career that looked all but over just over a year ago.
‘The Power’ from Portlaoise, based in Australia throughout his career, lost three of his four bouts between March 2020 and March 2023, to Ionut Baluta In Dubai, Michael Conlan in Belfast and Sam Goodman in Sydney.
But Doheny, who won his world title against Ryosuke Iwasa at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall six years ago, has since pulled off a string of three knockout victories in the Japanese capital.
As the 3/1 underdog, he annihilated American up-and-comer Japhethlee Llamido in the first round of their contest last October to gain a high ranking with the WBO.
He then dispatched unheralded Filipino Bryl Bayogos inside four rounds on the Inoue-Nery undercard in May.
💥TJ Doheny stopping Japhethlee Llamido in round 1 as a 3/1 (+300) underdog. The win that would ultimately see him land a shot against Undisputed Champion Naoya Inoue 井上尚弥 pic.twitter.com/CFwDy9VXmJ
— Tokkerū (@ATokkers5) July 16, 2024
“Doheny has had some really good fights recently and I don’t want to take my eye off the ball,” Inoue said.
“He has knocked out boxers who I have sparred with and he can produce the goods in his fights.”
Doheny’s standing in Japan has contributed to his earning this unlikely shot at Inoue, who holds all of the major belts at 122 pounds.
Doheny will open as somewhere between a 14/1 and 18/1 underdog against the champion, who will host him at the Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, in seven weeks’ time.
