Boxing

Irish boxer TJ Doheny beaten by Naoya Inoue in world super bantamweight fight

Portlaoise boxer was beaten by technical knockout in the seventh round in Tokyo

Japan's Naoya Inoue and Ireland's TJ Doheny. Photograph: Kazuhiro Nogi via Getty
Japan's Naoya Inoue and Ireland's TJ Doheny. Photograph: Kazuhiro Nogi via Getty
David Gorman
Tue Sept 03 2024 - 15:26

Irish boxer TJ Doheny has been beaten by Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue in an undisputed super bantamweight championship title fight at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Doheny was beaten by technical knockout in the seventh round as Inoue landed a strong fight hand and was not able to continue. The Japanese boxer had been in control of the fight before that and showed why he was WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles at 122lbs.

In the previous round, Inoue landed a big body shot, and closed the round with a dozen unanswered shots, slicing the Portlaoise boxer up with crisp combinations. Doheny complained of a “twinge” after walking back to his corner gingerly in the seventh round and that was the end of the fight.

“This fight didn’t end how we expected,” Inoue said through a translator, “but fighting a long career like this, this is a night we might have.

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“I want to celebrate,” Inoue added, “how TJ Doheny brought the fight into this ring.”

Inoue brought his unbeaten record to 28 fights, while it is Doheny’s fifth defeat in his career. The 37-year-old had been a familiar face in Japan, having amassed a 3-0 record against Japanese fighters and a 4-0 mark on Japanese soil.

However, it was too tall a task against Inoue, who some consider to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Promoter Bob Arum says Inoue will fight once more in Japan before the end of the year before coming to the United States for his first fight of 2025.

David Gorman

David Gorman

David Gorman is a sports journalist with The Irish Times