Monster Reign: Inoue stops Doheny to retain undisputed super-bantamweight crown
Naoya Inoue is still the one and only super-bantamweight king.
“The Monster” improved to 23-0 in world title fights, stopping former world champion TJ Doheny in the seventh round Tuesday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo to retain his undisputed crown.
Japan’s Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs), a four-division world champion and pound-for-pound sensation, earned his ninth consecutive stoppage and became the first man to stop Ireland’s stubborn Doheny (26-5, 20 KOs).
The opening rounds were tactical, as Inoue swept rounds one and two on the judges’ scorecards with an educated jab.
Aussie-based Doheny, who won the IBF super-bantamweight world title on Japanese soil in 2018, had pockets of success in rounds three and four, landing overhand lefts and using lateral movement to keep Inoue at bay.
Sharp and strong, Inoue ramped up the attack in round six, connecting with several body shots that had Doheny holding his side at the end of the round.
31-year-old Inoue charged from his corner to begin the seventh, delivering a body punch combination that left Doheny holding his back in pain. After taking a knee, the-37-year-old challenger walked to his corner gingerly. The fight was over. And for yet another evening, The Monster reigned supreme.
Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said, “I told him it was another great performance. I understand he’ll be coming back here to Tokyo to defend his title again at the end of the year. And then we’re taking him to the United States for a big celebration in Las Vegas.”
In the co-feature, Yoshiki Takei (10-0, 8 KOs) made the first defence of his WBO bantamweight world title, edging former world champion Daigo Higa (21-3-1, 19 KOs) via unanimous decision by scores of 114-113 2x and 115-112. After suffering a knockdown in the 11th, Takei dominated round 12 to secure the victory.