Naoya Inoue defends undisputed super-bantamweight championship to TJ Doheny
The Daunting Prospect of Transforming TJ into TC, by James Blears
Australia based Irishman TJ Doheny challenges undisputed and undefeated super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on September 3rd, live on Sky Sports in the UK and ESPN in the U.S.
It is an exceptionally, exceedingly difficult prospect. Naoya has KO’d his last eight opponents. He’s won all of his twenty-two world championship bouts. He’s won world titles in four weight categories and twenty four of his twenty-seven bouts by fast track. Aged thirty- one, he’s six years younger than the man from Portlaoise, Ireland. But…Terence John possesses several key resources and factors upon which he can and must draw.
Naoya has built an 88.89 percent KO percentage. But southpaw TJ’s 26-4, 20 KO’s tangibly show that he’s is slouch either, as his KO radio is 76.92 percent. He himself carries tasty and salty KO power in either hand and he’s never been stopped. He won the IBF super-bantamweight title defeating Ryosuke Iwasa by UD and successfully defended once, before losing in a unification via MD, to WBA champion Daniel Roman. Following his UD loss to Sam Goodman in Sydney, he’s notched three consecutive victories in Japan. Although he’s fought sixteen times in his adopted Australia, he’s no stranger to the Land of the Rising sun.
If he’s to defeat the mighty and formidable Naoya, more likely than not, it would have to be early on. This is when opportunity might knock? It seems to be ‘’Monster’s’’ one and only vulnerability and flaw.
In their first titanic fight, Nonito Donaire caught Naoya momentarily napping in round two, with a crunching left hook to the face. That one punch wrought and rendered near havoc. It broke his nose, fractured his right orbital bone and cut him over his right eye. For the rest of the fight Naoya was seeing double and as such was at a disadvantage. Yet, he it speaks volumes about him that he overcame this, to dominate from round five onwards, stunning Nonito with a flush right hook to the jaw and increasingly dominating.
It almost ended in round eleven of their thrilling World Boxing Super Series bantamweight Final, when Naoya pinpoint left hook to Nonito’s liver. The Old Master doubled up in agony, but was wily enough to scuttle crab like to an open space across the ring and then go down on his haunches. Somehow, he bravely got up, but from then to the final bell he was in survival mode. The rematch was a second round blow out. Naoya was in no mood to drag it out and expose himself to more heavy- handed risks.
In his most recent super-bantamweight undisputed title defence against Tijuana’s Luis Nery, Naoya was again surprised early, this time in round one, with a crunching left hook, after momentarily dropping his hands. It put him down hard, but he remained clear eyed, clear headed and alert and he got up!
‘’The Monster’’ is not infallible, but on a scale of one to ten he obtains top marks, being able to adapt, pull out and summon up and assimilate sheer brilliance at the drop of a hat, accelerating into top gear in the blink of an eye, when confronted by adversity and its accompanying temporary setbacks. This tenacious ingenuity is assuredly one of the definitions of all time greatness.
He swiftly returned the compliment in round two of the fray and with interest, via his own potent left hook and yet again with a left in round five. The bell saved Nery, but not for long. In round six a right uppercut stunned him and then an even harder right hook decked him. It was all over.
Prior to this Naoya became the second four belt undisputed champion by stopping tough and resourceful Filipino southpaw Marlon Tapales. Marlon was WBA and IBF super-bantamweight champion. Naoya had won the WBC and WBO belts by TKO’ing the talented Stephen Fulton in eight rounds.
Befitting the champion he was, Marlon put up a spirited fight. But as early as round four, a blistering, unremitting two fisted salvo, put him down. It could have ended there and then, but the bell saved him and he drew upon his excellent physical condition to weather the breaking storm. But…in round ten a big right hurt him and an even bigger right put him down, this time for the full count. Patient, persistent and all pervasive, Naoya had finally found the mark.
Naoya who is in his twelfth year as a pro, won his first title, the WBC light-flyweight Green and Gold, with a sixth TKO over Adrian ‘’Confessor’’ Hernandez, way back in 2014 in only his sixth fight, is a phenomenal talent. His speed and lightning reflexes and uncanny ring generalship are a marvel to watch. He’s a pinpoint, ruthless marksman, watchful and intelligent yet also instinctive and intuitive.
Secure in his supremacy, Naoya can show flashes of headstrong arrogance and bravado, from time to time, putting his hands behind his back and daring his opponent to punch him, or temptingly sticking out a jutting jaw. Most unwise, for even a superstar, because it only takes one punch, as we’ve all seen. Remember thou art mortal…even a conquering General.
He’s said he’s going to stay at super-bantamweight for the next couple of years, before considering moving up to featherweight. Thus far he’s matured and grown into every weight category, moving up, without easing up, carrying his formidable punching power along with him. But I feel he’s now reached his ceiling, size wise and would be giving too much weight away at one twenty Six. A bridge too far? We’ll have to be patient, wait and see.
TC or Top Cat is the wise cracking street wise cartoon cool cat, who lives alongside his pals in Hoagy’s Alley and he’s the bane of Officer Dibble’s life. As the opening credits via lyrics suggest: ‘’Good friends get to call him TC.’’
To win this fight against the most accomplished, skill laden and devastating champion of the lower weight divisions, TJ must use and utilize all of his savvy, defensive capabilities and feline cunning, striving for ‘’Purrfection,’’especially to cover up from withering body attacks, also avoiding unforced errors and trying to seize on and capitalize upon any fleeting opportunity early, like Donaire and Nery did.
In their case they certainly captured Naoya’s attention, but it didn’t deflect, alter or change the course or ultimate outcome of his dreadnought, purposeful plus ferocious full steam ahead onslaught. That outcome was their comeuppance and their downfall.
From time to time, Dibble irritably warned TC that fur could fly and he risked falling foul of the cop’s nightstick, especially when that cool cat was audaciously yet casually using his police phone, reserved for official business. TC invariably and flippantly brushed this aside….often with the caviller, caviar retort of: ‘’OK Officer Dribble!’’
TJ won’t be able to prevent ‘’Monster’s’’ fearsome clubbing attack. Rather he must try to deflect it and capitalize on any lapse early on, before Naoya gets warmed up, warms to his task and settles into his irresistible molten Blast furnace hammering fighting mode groove.
Terence John Doheny has been a world champion himself and as such he has that extra fighting spirit, panache and touch of class to pose problems. For his part, Naoya will be looking to deliver an onslaught and a blitz asap and pdq.
Yet, as so often, the key to success, will be consistency, focus and its application. Inscribing and enshrining the fighting words, of the seventeenth century Samurai Miyamoto Musashi, who prophetically wrote: ‘’A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.’’
Tale of the Tape
Naoya “Monster” Inoue
Undisputed Super Bantamweight World Champion
Age: 31
DOB: April 10, 1993
Residence, birthplace: Zama, Kanagawa, Japan
Record: 27-0, 24 KOs
Total rounds: 162
World championship fights: 22-0, 20 KOs
Height: 5’5” – 165cm
Reach: 67.5” – 171cm
Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Sayuri Ohashi
Trainer: Shingo Inoue
T.J. “The Power” Doheny
WBC #7 Super Bantamweight
Age: 37
DOB: November 2, 1986
Residence: Perth, Western Australia
Birthplace: Portlaois, Ireland
Record: 26-4, 20 KOs
Total rounds: 178
World championship fights: 2-1, 1 KO
Height: 5’6” – 167cm
Reach: 66” – 167cm
Stance: Left-handed
Manager: Mike Altamura
Trainer: Hector Bermudez
WBC Top 10 Super Bantamweight Champions
- Wilfredo Gomez (Puerto Rico)
- Erik Morales (Mexico)
- Jeff Fenech (Australia)
- Daniel Zaragoza (Mexico)
- Israel Vazquez (Mexico)
- Abner Mares (Mexico)
- Leo Santa Cruz (Mexico)
- Tracy Patterson (US)
- Oscar Larios (Mexico)
- Royal Kobayashi (Japan)