Undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue is slowly edging to becoming recognised as the unquestionable pound-for-pound king and today that claim was further improved upon, as he scored a seventh-round knockout win over Irish-Australian fan-favourite, TJ Doheny – who had never been stopped beforehand. Although, the win may not have come in the fashion that the Japanese sensation had drawn it up.
Toshiki Shimomachi (18-1-3) and Ryuya Tsugawa (13-1) kicked off proceedings in a clash for the well-respected Japan Boxing Commission super-bantamweight title. After edging the early stages of a competitive contest, Shimomachi was dropped by a straight-right in the eighth-round and it looked as though an upset couple be on the cards. However, Shimomachi rallied to the final bell and did enough to defend his title in the eyes of the judges, registering a unanimous-decision win.
Next it was the turn of rising welterweight contender, Jin Sasaki (17-1-1), who is ranked in the top five of each of the WBC (#5), WBO (#3) and IBF (#4) world rankings. As has become the norm with Sasaki, the 23-year-old adopted the front-footed approach against Australia’s Qamil Balla (15-1-1), but Balla was not afraid to meet him in the centre of the ring and exchange up-close in a brutal display of toughness and grit from both.
Yet, in the seventh-round, the damage dealt by Sasaki proved to move for the visitor, as a string of unanswered punches culminated with Balla collapsed in the corner and the referee left stood over him, proceeding to call a stop to what was an entertaining scrap from the get-go.
After a controversial stoppage defeat to Rolando Romero cost him world championship status, ageing Venezuelan super-lightweight Ismael Barroso (25-4-2) scored a sensational first-round stoppage victory over Ohara Davies to re-establish himself as a threat to the 140lb throne. Although, Barroso’s trip to Japan to take on the undefeated Andy Hiraoka (23-0) was always going to be a tough task.
Hiraoka showed top-class discipline to refrain from getting involved in a fire fight with the 41-year-old gunslinger but managed to drop Barroso in the seventh as he began to turn the metaphorical screw. In the ninth, Hiraoka increased his output in what had been a slow-paced fight until that point, and he got his reward with an additional two knockdowns, before Barroso’s corner made the wise decision to pull their man out in between rounds.
In the co-main event newly-crowned WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (9-0) met former WBC flyweight title-holder Daigo Higa (21-2-1) in a meeting that seemed destined to end inside the distance, given a combined 27 stoppage victories in 30 fights between them.
Takei’s defence left a lot to be desired but made for a back-and-forth battle that could have gone either way, as a game Higa scored what looked to be a pivotal knockdown in the eleventh-round in the hopes of snatching Takei’s belt at the first time of asking. The twelfth however, was the round that proved crucial, as Takei dominated and almost got the stoppage of his own – showing the true spirit of a world champion.
On the cards, it was Takei who the judges sided with, awarding the hard-hitting southpaw with a unanimous-decision (115-112, 114-113 x2) that could have gone either way.
Finally, the superstar that is Naoya Inoue (27-0) made his way to the ring with all the swagger of the national hero that he has become and after being knocked down for the first time in his last outing, ‘The Monster’ was keen to ensure there were no hiccups this time around.
Strangely the man that was in the opposing corner, former IBF super-bantamweight champion TJ Doheny (26-4) is another fighter beloved by the Japanese fans, after three consecutive surprise stoppage wins in Tokyo – but there were no signs of an upset on this occasion.
In spite of Doheny appearing to be much the bigger man in the ring, it was Inoue who was backing up a tentative Doheny – clearly and understandably cautious considering what could be coming back at him. Still, a patient Inoue stalked the awkward challenger without chasing an early knockout throughout the opening three rounds, analysing his prey and awaiting an opportunity to properly capitalise, whilst occasionally digging Doheny to the body in the hopes of slowing his feet down.
In the fifth and sixth, Doheny began finding himself regularly trapped against the ropes or in the corner as the earlier bodywork was proved to have taken its toll and still showed no signs of stopping. However, as a highlight-reel knockout appeared to loom for Inoue, Doheny was forced to take a knee early in the seventh and withdraw from the affair due to a back injury, handing Inoue a remarkable 22nd title fight victory in a total 27 professional bouts.
During the aftermath, Inoue admitted that he is still a work-in-progress whilst paying respects to the efforts and career of Doheny, before Bob Arum announced that the undisputed champion would return to action in Tokyo once again before the end of the year, and then fight in Las Vegas in 2025.
Full Card Results
Toshiki Shimomachi (18-1-3) vs. Ryusa Tsugawa (13-1) – JBC Super-Bantamweight – Shimomachi (UD)
Jin Sasaki (17-1-1) vs. Qamil Balla (15-1-1) – WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight Title – Sasaki (TKO7)
Ismael Barroso (25-4-2) vs. Andy Hiraoka (23-0) – WBA Interim Super-Lightweight Title – Hiraoka (TKO9)
Yoshiki Takei (9-0) vs. Daigo Higa (21-2-1) – WBO Bantamweight World Title – Takei (UD)
Naoya Inoue (27-0) vs. TJ Doheny (26-4) – WBC, WBA, WBO & IBF Super-Bantamweight World Titles – Inoue (TKO7)
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