By Naoya Inoue, the two-weight undisputed champion, will defend his super-bantamweight title against former world champion TJ Doheny on September 3 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Inoue, who recently defended his titles in a thrilling match against Luis Nery, is known for his knockout power, having knocked out eight consecutive top-level opponents.
Top Rank chair Bob Arum praised Inoue as a generational talent, while acknowledging Doheny’s resilience and history of defying the odds in Japan. Doheny, with a record of 26-4 (20 KOs), has a strong track record in Japan, being undefeated on Japanese soil and against Japanese fighters.
Despite setbacks, Doheny has bounced back with three consecutive wins in Japan, including a victory on the Inoue-Nery undercard. Inoue, who has been a world champion for over a decade, boasts a record of 22-0 with 20 knockouts in world championship fights. His journey to undisputed status began in December 2022, and he has since unified the super-bantamweight division.
The event will also feature WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei defending his title against former flyweight champion Daigo Higa, and Ismael Barroso defending his WBA interim super-lightweight title against Andy Hiraoka.
