Naoya Inoue vs TJ Doheny Preview
TJ Doheny challenges undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue for his belts in Tokyo on September 3rd at 10:45 am. Doheny enters the bout on a three-fight win streak after stopping a trio of opponents in Japan.
Inoue has established himself as one of the finest boxers in the world this year and ranks as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers globally. Can the Irishman cause an upset in Japan or will the champion add another name to his blemish-free record?
Naoya Inoue vs TJ Doheny Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue’s professional career has been a path of destruction so far. The 31-year-old fighter has racked up 26 names on his record with no losses on his way to the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles. He is a four-weight champion and won his first world title in just his sixth pro fight.
The undisputed champion last stepped into the ring in May at the Tokyo Dome to defend his belts against Luis Nery. That card presented the first time the venue held a boxing event since 1990, thanks to Monster’s superstardom in Japan. The mandatory challenger presented the sternest test of Inoue’s career in his first defence as an undisputed champ. He entered the fight with a record of 35-1 with 27 knockouts.
Nery knocked down the champ for the first time in Inoue’s career in the opening round. The pressure was on and there was a genuine threat of embarrassment for The Monster in front of his fans in a historic return to the Tokyo Dome. The champion survived an onslaught for the rest of the round as Nery tried to finish the job and lived to see the second.
Inoue bit down on his mouthguard and fought back impressively. The Japanese fighter’s excellent fight IQ was on show when he forced Nery to overextend in the second round and scored a short left hook to send him to the canvas. He dominated the rest of the fight, knocking Nery down again in the fifth with another short-left before crumbling the Mexican in the sixth for the 24th KO of his career. The Ring now ranks him as the number 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world with a 27-0 record.
TJ ‘The Power’ Doheny enters this fight on a three-fight tear. The Australia-based Irishman endured a difficult few years between 2019 and 2023, where he went on a run of 2-4 through six fights. He has bounced back from that rough patch to win his last three via TKO. The 37-year-old last fought on the same card as Inoue in May, facing Bryl Bayogos.
Doheny played the role of aggressor in the fight with Bayogos, trying to keep him at range with his jab. The Power dropped his opponent with body shots twice in the third round. He could smell blood in the fourth round and unleashed three huge left hands. The damage to Bayogos was piling up by the end of the round with Doheny landing huge hooks. His corner had seen enough and withdrew their fighter, securing the win for The Power and a title fight with the headliner.
THE YEAR OF THE MONSTER 🚨👑
P4P icon @NaoyaInoue_410 will defend his undisputed Super Bantamweight crown against former world champion @TJDoheny. #InoueDoheny | SEP 3 | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/jHwYxFzMQU
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 16, 2024
Inoue has a far more impressive record than his opponent in this fight. The champ is 27-0 with a knockout percentage of 88.89%. Doheny has a 26-4 record with a 76.92% knockout percentage. There is very little between them in height and reach with Doheny standing at 5’5½” with a 68” reach and Inoue at 5’5” and 66½” reach. Despite a six-year age gap, Doheny has only had three more professional fights than Inoue.
Naoya Inoue vs TJ Doheny Predictions
Naoya Inoue is one of the most exciting fighters in the world. He is ranked number two in the pound-for-pound category a testament to his talent. Oleksandr Usyk is the only fighter ahead of The Monster. He is only the second Japanese fighter to win titles in four weight divisions and has been undisputed in two of them. Inoue has dynamite in his fists and an excellent fight IQ to go with it. He is a generational talent in Japan and our boxing prediction is for a KO/TKO victory for Inoue.
Inoue will tire Doheny with his great bodywork. The champion changes angles at speed while maintaining his power. He will be too fast for his more senior opponent. The Monster will let his hands go once he has worn the challenger down and at that point, it is up to him how the fight ends.
.@NaoyaInoue_410 has a finisher instinct like no other 💥#InoueDoheny | SEP 3 | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/PYtYr0cVDg
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 26, 2024
This is likely TJ Doheny’s final swipe at a big title fight. The Power is in the twilight of his career at 37 years old and is now six years removed from his IBF super-bantamweight title triumph. He is on an excellent run late in his career though. Doheny has carved out a name for himself in Japan with his last three victories coming at Korakuen Hall and the Tokyo Dome. However, Doheny has never fought someone like Inoue.
On paper, this is a significant mismatch. Inoue has ascended the ranks of the boxing world to stand next to Junto Nakatani. The 31-year-old takes this mandatory defence with one eye looking forward to a super-fight against the fellow undefeated Japanese fighter. He will want to put a stamp on this victory and send a message to the WBC bantamweight champion.
Doheny cannot be underestimated. He earned his place in this fight and did so impressively with his last victory. The Irishman comes into this fight on the back of three TKO victories, and the Power is there to cause the champ troubles if he falls asleep. Inoue was knocked down for the first time in his career in the opening round when he faced Nery in May. He has to be careful not to repeat the same mistakes in this fight.
Naoya Inoue vs TJ Doheny Betting Tips
Naoya Inoue is an overwhelming favourite in this fight. A bet on Inoue is worth 1/100 with our online bookmaker. A €10 wager on the champion would return just €0.10. There is very little value in betting on The Monster with this mandatory defence more of a formality than a money fight.
We are backing Naoya Inoue to win this fight via TKO/KO. A bet on the champion to win by stoppage is only worth 1/14. We think there is more value in round betting. Nobody has managed to knock out Doheny in his career, but Inoue has dynamite in his hands. He defeated Nery in the sixth round in his last fight and we think he can get Doheny out of there around the same time. A bet on Inoue to win in rounds 5-8 is worth 6/4. This bet has landed in five of his last six fights.
Over/under betting is an option for this fight, as this is a big step up in competition for Doheny. We still think he can hold on throughout the first four rounds. Bet on this fight to go over 4.5 rounds, worth 9/10 with our online sports betting platform. Doheny has not failed to go beyond that in any of his four career defeats.
A bet on TJ Doheny to win this fight is worth 11/1. We do not expect the Irishman to win, though it could be worth a small wager with a puncher’s chance. You can back The Power with reduced risk when you sign up for Novibet using our welcome bonus. We will match your first deposit in bonus funds up to €500.
Naoya Inoue vs TJ Doheny Card Preview
There will be an all-Japanese co-main event in Tokyo between current WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs) and former champion Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KOs). Our online bookmaker favours the champion to retain his title. Venezuelan Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23 KOs) will defend his WBA super-lightweight title against undefeated Japanese fighter Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18 KOs). Hiraoka heads into the fight as an overwhelming favourite with many expecting a trio of Japanese champions to finish the night.
- Naoya Inoue vs TJ Doheny: IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO junior featherweight titles
- Ismael Barroso vs Andy Hiraoka: Super-lightweight
- Yoshiki Takei vs Daigo Higa: WBO bantamweight title
- Jin Sasaki vs Qamil Balla: Welterweight
- Toshiki Shimomachi vs Ryuya Tsugawa: Super-bantamweight
