Naoya Inoue stops TJ Doheny in round seven

NAOYA Inoue is still the undefeated and undisputed super-bantamweight champion of the world after forcing a seventh-round stoppage of challenger TJ Doheny. The Irish southpaw was holding his own through the first half of the fight until a back injury struck at 16 seconds of the seventh.

Make no mistake, Inoue’s rapid fists helped ease Doheny out of the fight. Turning 38 in November, Aussie-based TJ bent over as referee Bence Kovacs called it off.

Looking filled out at the introductions, displaying solid shoulders as he assessed the task in hand, Doheny looked big as Inoue looked to flex his hand speed and have a look in round one. Inoue targetted the body in round two, launching a right hand downstairs as Doheny swaggered around the ring, hands low. 

Doheny let his shots go more in the third, scoping for gaps where the left hand could sneak in. TJ had a better overall third as Inoue stepped in with back-to-back thumping rights to close it out.

Inoue’s left jab had been locked in the cabinet until round four as he tried to move around Doheny’s side shoulder guard. The Irishman’s looping left hands were landing as he sought to avoid the false comfort of the ropes.

It was Inoue’s turn to lean back on the ropes as Doheny took the initiative in round five, tagging the body with clubbing single shots. Doheny’s hands were still quick, although the higher pace was unsuitable for his aims.

TJ’s toughness was never in question, but his ring IQ was underrated as the 37-year-old slipped out of danger and landed counters to head and body.

Inoue was swiftly ramping up the pace until an unfortunate Doheny back injury ended his evening prematurely. Retaining all four belts, Naoya went on to thank his fans for coming out on a rainy Tuesday night while commending Doheny for his career achievements.

“I know boxing is not easy so I really wanted to slow down, do one at a time, giving my opponent damage,” Inoue said afterwards.

Promoter Bob Arum confirmed that his prized possession would be out in Tokyo at the end of the year and then off to the United States for a big celebration in Las Vegas.