Japanese powerhouse Naoya Inoue returns to action for the second defense of his undisputed super bantamweight title against TJ Doheny at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Tuesday, September 3. The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will be broadcast by ESPN+ in the U.S.
Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) is a four-weight world titleholder, a double undisputed world champion, and one of the finest fighters in the world today. While he suffered a brief scare in his last bout after being dropped by Luis Nery in the opening round, the champion promptly got back to his feet and knocked the Mexican fighter out cold in the sixth.
Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) hails from Ireland, lives in Australia, and he’s the former IBF super bantamweight champion. An authentic fighting man, Doheny has suffered setbacks in his career, but he always bounces back, and even at 37 years old, he’s determined to become a two-time world champion. A crafty and hard-hitting southpaw, this challenger will be looking to put Inoue on the canvas and keep him there.
“TJ is going to have to deactivate certain weapons of Inoue, who is very dynamic offensively and has a really nice kit of punches,” said Doheny’s manager Mike Altamura in a recent interview with The Ring. “He’s very fast with his feet, but he doesn’t move his head a lot, though. I think there are going to be opportunities there for TJ to counter him and to walk him into shots, but he’s got to be really switched on to the game plan.
“I feel as though Hector Bermudez – who to me is one of the most outstanding trainers in world boxing – has the right formula and the right game plans to be effective against Inoue, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it is going to play out on September 3.”
The Sporting News takes a look at the Inoue vs. Doheny matchup and makes a final prediction on the outcome.
Naoya Inoue vs. TJ Doheny odds, betting
Naoya Inoue vs. TJ Doheny prediction
While many fighters can become psyched over facing southpaws, Inoue is not fazed. The Japanese star is coming off two stoppage wins over lefties Marlon Tapales and Luis Nery. And while Nery managed to get Inoue off his feet, that was the only moment of serious discomfort the champ encountered.
However, unlike Tapales and Nery, Doheny is a natural super bantamweight which should give him a leg up in terms of strength and durability. The only question would be, is the challenger’s physicality equal to Inoue’s advantages in speed, skill and explosiveness? The overall consensus is that size doesn’t matter in this matchup.
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Inoue has so many tools and he’s an awesome offensive force. If the jab isn’t working against the lefty stance, he’s very adept at leading with power shots and targeting the body. Doheny has the requisite skills and experience to have some success, but it’s difficult to foresee him sustaining it at 37 years old. At the very least, the challenger has a puncher's chance, but even then, we've seen "The Monster" absorb direct hits from the likes of Nonito Donaire and come back blazing.
The prediction is that Inoue exploits an early mistake and blasts out another challenger in devastating fashion.
Sporting News prediction: Inoue (TKO 5)
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