Undefeated Naoya Inoue is back in the ring on Tuesday, September 3, when he faces former world champion TJ Doheny of Ireland. The Japanese two-division undisputed champion returns to Ariake Arena in Tokyo, making the second defense of his 122 lbs title.
Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) goes through the ropes for the second time this year. In his previous outing at Tokyo Dome in May, the 31-year-old “Monster” stopped Luis Nery in the sixth round of the bout that saw him suffering his first career knockdown.
TJ Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) last fought on the same card in May, scoring the fourth-round TKO against Bryl Bayogos and securing his third win in a row. The Australia-based 37-year-old native of Portlaoise, Ireland is a former IBF super bantamweight champion.
“Naoya Inoue is a generational talent, and every time he fights, the boxing world stops to watch the master at work,” said boxing promoter Bob Arum. “TJ Doheny is a veteran who can never be counted out, as he’s defied the odds many times when fighting in Japan.”
In an all-Japanse co-feature, Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs) defends his WBO bantamweight title against former world champion Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KOs). Takei scored a unanimous decision against Jason Moloney last time out in May and claimed the belt. Former WBC flyweight champion Higa stopped Navapon Khaikanha in the fourth round last December and collected his fourth straight victory.
Among the Inoue vs Doheny undercard bouts, Ismael Barroso defends his interim WBA super lightweight title against Andy Hiraoka. Miami-based Barroso (25-4-2, 23 KOs) of Venezuela eliminated Ohara Davies in the first-round in January and landed the title. Unbeaten Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18 KOs) of Japan is coming off the win via fifth-round TKO against Sebastian Diaz Maldonado last December.
In the U.S., the event live stream is available on ESPN+.