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.
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.
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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.
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