Naoya Inoue Earned A TKO Over TJ Doheny In A Non-‘Monster’ Way

It wasn’t what boxing fans were used to seeing, but the undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) successfully defended his titles on Tuesday in Japan by earning a seventh-round TKO over TJ Doheny (26-5, 20 KOs). The stoppage wasn’t a highlight reel knockout as Doheny appeared to have thrown his back out, but things were pointing towards a devastating “Monster” knockout before Doheny took the knee and conceded. Inoue was more cautious than normal on Tuesday, which could have been a result from the Luis Nery fight, his future move to featherweight, or a little of both.

In front of a crowd that was reportedly over 15,000 in attendance to see Inoue vs. Doheny on a Tuesday night in Japan, it’s clear that Inoue’s star power continues to grow at a rapid pace. The introduction before the ringwalk was that of a superstar, and as Inoue walked towards the ring, he was talking it all in as he knew that he’d hit new levels of star power. From the moment he walked down the aisle to entering the ring, though, his game face was on, and he was all about his business at hand, which was Doheny.

When the fight began, Doheny gave Inoue a ton of feints and movement, giving Inoue different looks. This had Inoue gauging his distance, battling for foot position, and using feints himself. In the second and third rounds, both fighters began to open up, but Inoue’s defense-heavy strategy threw people off a bit. Doheny didn’t mind it, and he was working in there, landing straight left hands and hooks that caught Inoue in spots. The Monster instead dedicated his attack to the body of Doheny, and as the fourth and fifth rounds came, Doheny’s hands began to come down more and more. Inoue was finding success, but so was Doheny, who started to use his legs as mid-fight adjustments were being made.

Doheny’s best round was the fifth, as Inoue fought on the back foot, which allowed Doheny to come forward. It was a risky strategy by Inoue, but it allowed Doheny to move forward, contrary to his counterpunching style. Inoue began unloading some big body shots and right hands in the sixth round and right before the bell, he landed a left hook to the body that hurt Doheny. When the seventh round began, Inoue went right back downstairs, and Doheny placed his hand towards his back, signifying that he was injured, and took a knee. The referee stopped the fight as Doheny stated he could not continue.

Why Did We See A Different Version Of Inoue?

When Inoue fought Nery in May, he suffered the first knockdown of his career in the opening round. He wasn’t hurt but more so embarrassed that it happened. For a second, Inoue forgot that he was in the ring with Nery, a fighter who many believed a younger, more disciplined version of himself could have beaten Inoue at one point. Doheny is a southpaw like Nery, so there was likely some caution about getting caught again early on in the fight if he started too quickly.

Another potential reason is that Inoue will be moving up to featherweight soon and will have to find different ways to win without relying on his overwhelming power that worked in the lighter-weight classes. After the fight, Top Rank’s Bob Arum announced Inoue will return at the end of the year and then “a celebration” in Las Vegas in 2025. Inoue spoke about showing a new version of himself, but this could also be a stage of his career where he knows his one-punch knockouts will be fewer, with the fighters being bigger and levels better than his previous opposition.

Who’s next for Naoya Inoue?

Only two fights make sense for Inoue before his move to featherweight: a mandatory defense against Sam Goodman and the highly anticipated showdown against MJ Akhmadaliev. The December fight will likely be against one of those two fighters, leaving the Las Vegas celebration, as Arum mentioned, against the fighter who doesn’t get the shot at the end of the year. Although we would all love to see a fight between Inoue and WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani, the timing may not be right, but it could also be part of “the celebration.” The next few weeks will be telling on what the path is for Inoue leading into 2025.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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