BATTLING TJ Doheny was stopped for the first time in his career as Naoya Inoue lived up to his ‘Monster’ moniker and retained his undisputed world super-bantamweight championship at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Four-division world champion and pound-for-pound king Inoue (28-0) earned his ninth consecutive stoppage when Doheny retired with a back injury early in the seventh round.
Up to that point, Portlaoise native Doheny had made it a competitive encounter with thumping right hooks out of his southpaw stance and ramrod left hands.
But there was a concerning snap to Inoue’s powerful shots and he gradually wore the Irish veteran down. Inoue ramped up the attack in round six, connecting with several body shots that had Doheny holding his lower back at the end of the round.
Inoue charged from his corner to begin the seventh, delivering a body punch combination that left Doheny in pain. After taking a knee, he walked to his corner gingerly. The fight was over and once again the ‘Monster’ reigned supreme.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said afterwards: “I told him it was another great performance. I understand he’ll be coming back here to Tokyo to defend his title again at the end of the year and then we’re taking him to the United States for a big celebration in Las Vegas.”