By: Sean Crose
TJ Doheny may well have been the first fighter to give pound for pound superstar Naoya Inoue a challenge in the ring since Nonito Donaire put Inoue on the mat in their extraordinary first battle back in 2019. While it’s true, Naoya was pretty much in charge throughout Tuesday’s battle with Doheny, the veteran challenger proved challenging to the unified super bantamweight champion of the world. It was an interesting battle that unfortunately ended too soon.
The first round was uneventful for the most part. It looked like perhaps Inoue was puzzled by Doheny’s southpaw jab. Inoue landed hard and clean around the halfway point of the second. Ending the round with a combination to the body, Inoue looked to be more comfortable hunting his southpaw foe. With that being said, Doheny once again seemed to puzzle Inoue with his southpaw jab in the third. The Irishman indeed may have won the round.
Doheny performed well in the fourth, but Inoue’s shots were simply stronger, cleaner and more accurate. Confident is his ability, Inoue continued to pursue his prey in the fifth, landing hard to Doheny’s body. Inoue cruised along in the six, but Doheny – awkward, game, and hard punching – was very much in the fight. Still, Inoue took to really chopping away at the challenger at round’s end.
Doheny suddenly stopped fighting seconds into the seventh, and began to limp across the ring, ultimately dropping to one knee. The referee had no choice but to stop the fight. Warrior that he was, however, Doheny limped over to Inoue after getting up, and congratulated the still undefeated champion. While it lasted, it was a very entertaining fight.
“This fight didn’t end how we expected,” Inoue (via The Guardian) said after the bout had concluded, “but fighting a long career like this, this is a night we might have.” Sure enough, Inoue went on to state in front of the crowd at Ariake Arena in Tokyo: “I want to celebrate how TJ Doheny brought the fight into this ring”
There were, of course, those who felt that Inoue did not look his best against the determined Doheny. Inoue, however, still exuded confidence. “You can expect more from me in the future,” he claimed. “To all the fans around the world thank you so much for watching this fight. This is not everything that I have, I still have a long way to go.”
*Images: Top Rank
