Naoya Inoue (left) and TJ Doheny are ready for their RING/Undisputed 122-pound championship on September 3 in Tokyo. Photo credit: Naoki Fukuda
Naoya Inoue will enter his latest title fight against the heaviest weight of his already legendary career.
The RING and undisputed junior featherweight champion clocked in right at 122 pounds, while TJ Doheny weighed in at 121 ½ pounds. Their scheduled twelve-round championship bout leads Tuesday on an ESPN+ show from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Yokohama’s Inoue (27-0, 24 knockouts) has weighed in just below the divisional limit for each of his three previous fights at the weight.
The Ring’s no. 2-rated pound-for-pound fighter was 121.7 pounds in his eighth-round knockout of undefeated Stephen Fulton last July 25. The victory came with the WBC and WBO titles as he became a four-division titlist and Japan’s first-ever two-division unified champion. He then weighed in at 121.6 pounds against Marlon Tapales, whom he stopped in the tenth round to fully unify the 122-pound division last December 26. With the win, Inoue also earned his second RING Championship.
Both fights took place at Ariake Arena. He moved into the Tokyo Dome for the venue’s first boxing event since 1990. Inoue was 121 ¾ pounds for his sixth-round knockout of Luis Nery (35-2, 27 KOs) on May 6. Tuesday’s defense against Doheny will mark his 21stSt career fight with at least one major title fight on the line. He previously held the WBC 108-pound, WBO 115-pound titles and the RING/Undisputed 118-pound Championship.
Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) enters his first title fight in more than five years.
The Irish southpaw – who is based in New South Wales, Australia – previously held the IBF 122-pound title. He won the belt in his first career fight in Japan, when he decisioned Ryosuke Iwasa in August 2018. One successful defense followed before he lost an April 2019 thriller to Daniel Roman in Inglewood, California.
A move up to featherweight produced mixed results, and his return to 122 resulted in a points loss to undefeated Sam Goodman last March 12 in Sydney. Three wins at the weight have since followed, all in Japan and each ending by knockout. He landed a fourth-round stoppage of Bryl Bayogos (7-0-1 at the time) on the Inoue-Nery undercard in May.
Below are the weights for the rest of the undercard
Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs), Yokohama, 117 ¾ lbs
Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KOs), Tokyo, 117 ¾ lbs
12 rounds, for Takei’s WBO bantamweight title
Yoshiki Takei and Daigo Higa bow and shake hands after each making weight. Photo credit: Naoki Fukuda
Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23 KOs), Miami via El Tigre, Venezuela, 140 pounds
Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18 KOs), Yokohama, 140 lbs
12 rounds, for Barroso’s interim WBA junior welterweight title
Ismael Barroso and Andy Hiraoka tackle each other after making weight. Barroso defends interim WBA 140-pound title on September 3 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Yoshiki Takei and Daigo Higa bow and shake hands after each making weight. Photo credit: Naoki Fukuda
Jin Sasaki (17-1-1, 16 KOs), Tokyo, 146 ¼ lbs
Qamil Balla (15-1-1, 8 KOs), Victoria, Australia, 147 lbs
12 rounds, welterweight
Toshiki Shimomachi (18-1-3, 12 KOs), Osaka, Japan 122 lbs
Ryuya Tsugawa (13-1, 9 KOs), Osaka, 121 3/4 lbs
10 rounds, junior featherweight
