Inoue Takes His Time In Dismantling Overmatched Doheny

Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) walked through the early part of his unified super bantamweight title defense Wednesday morning at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan like a fighter with nothing to worry about, who could take his time in finding the best way to obliterate his opponent.

And, obliterate TJ Doheny (26-5, 20 KOs) he did…eventually.

Japan’s four-division world champ picked his way to a marginal advantage in the opening rounds of the bout. He got back to being his usual nasty self in the fifth round, however, after Doheny landed some solid shots in the fourth (winning the round on two of the three judges’ scorecards).

The sixth round was especially brutal for the Irishman challenger as he took some substantial shots to the head and body, finishing the frame clutching his back.

As things turned out, the end of the real fight came at the end of the sixth. Doheny would emerge for the seventh limping and tentative, only to clutch at his back again following a brief exchange before putting an end to his own evening.

“Probably this fight didn’t end the way that you expected,” Inoue said, via translator, after the bout. “I think it was more the accumulation of damage that I gave to him.

“I know boxing is not easy so I really wanted to be slowing down, doing one [round] at a time, giving my opponent damage.”

The 37-year-old Doheny did what he could as a very overmatched opponent facing a generational talent. Realistically, there was no path to victory for the former super bantamweight world champ, who had a brief run with the IBF 122 lb. title back in 2018 and has recently become a regular in the Japanese fight scene. He boxed a little, did well to survive a half-charging Inoue, and succeeded in having a few brief moments in the third and fourth rounds. But, as soon as the Japanese star hit the accelerator, what everyone knew became crystal clear– this fight was the boxing equivalent of a thoroughbred racing a donkey in the Kentucky Derby.

So, now, Inoue moves on.

There’s a Tokyo title defense schedule for December and then, according to co-promoter Bob Arum, a fight in the US.

“It was another great performance,” Bob Arum said, inside the ring at Ariake Arena.

“I understand he will be coming back here to Tokyo to defend his title at the end of the year. And then we’re taking him to the United States for a big celebration in Las Vegas.”