On Tuesday, September third, on the Ariake Area in Koto Metropolis, Tokyo, Japan, the undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) efficiently defended his crown as he stopped TJ Doheny (26-5, 20 KOs) within the seventh spherical.
Inoue displayed persistence as he caught to his recreation plan and systematically broke down the challenger. TJ Doheny was a gamed opponent, however sadly, the buildup of harm all through the combat was an excessive amount of for him to beat.
The combat’s opening spherical was the everyday feeling-out course of, as Inoue landed the jab and a few strong rights to the physique. For many of the bout, Inoue fought off the entrance foot and unleashed a balanced assault to the top and physique of his opponent.
Because the match continued, Inoue’s bodywork regularly took its toll on Doheny. Firstly of the seventh, Inoue landed a tough left to the physique, forcing Doheny to limp away and take a knee. After witnessing Doheny’s response, the referee instantly stopped the competition.
As soon as the match ended, a revelation was made about Inoue stepping again contained in the ring in December to defend his undisputed crown. As soon as once more, the match will happen in Japan, and it’ll most definitely be towards WBO/IBF prime contender Sam Goodman or the WBA primary contender Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
After the December bout, High Rank boss Bob Arum plans to have Inoue return to the States to defend his crown in Las Vegas. If Inoue is profitable, will a combat between Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani happen later in 2025?
The undefeated Japanese boxer Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) is a three-division champion and the reigning WBC world bantamweight titleholder. Nakatani made a quick look contained in the squared circle in July 2024 when he confronted Vincent Astrolabio.
With 38 seconds remaining within the 1st spherical, the southpaw Nakatani landed a tough left to the physique, sending Astrolabio all the way down to the canvas. Together with his physique throbbing in ache, Vincent Astrolabio tried to stand up, however sadly for him, he was counted out.
Combat followers all the time seek for the following super-fight, and a Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani conflict suits the class. This potential bout would function two extremely expert energy punchers.
At the moment, Inoue competes at 122 kilos, whereas Nakatani is campaigning as a 118-pounder. The 2-time undisputed champion of 4 divisions, Naoya Inoue, appears ready to remain at super-bantamweight for a major period of time.
Hopefully, Junto Nakatani will transfer up from 118 to 122 in 2025. If that occurs, it’ll heighten the anticipation for one of many greatest fights within the Japanese market.
The potential Inoue vs. Nakatani conflict will probably be enormous in Japan, but it surely’s additionally an enormous combat globally. In a current interview, boxing coach Robert Garcia acknowledged he would fly to Japan to see the mega combat.
Boxing followers and pundits are monitoring this case, and so they can see that this conflict is on the horizon. At the moment, Naoya Inoue is the largest boxing star in Japan.
Junto Nakatani hasn’t but reached Inoue’s degree of stardom, however he’s regularly closing the hole. Persevering with to win impressively will assist Nakatani lower the deficit. Nonetheless, Nakatani’s quickest path to his final objective is to problem Inoue in 2025 and try to knock the king off his throne.
