Philippines, 16 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


September 3: Undisputed Super Bantamweight King Naoya Inoue to Defend Crown Against TJ Doheny at Ariake Arena in Tokyo LIVE on ESPN+

PhilBoxing.com





WBO bantamweight world champion Yoshiki Takei to defend strap against Daigo Higa in the co-feature

TOKYO (July 16, 2024) — Pound-for-pound icon Naoya “The Monster” Inoue will defend his undisputed super bantamweight world championship against Irish-born former world champion TJ Doheny on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Inoue, a two-weight undisputed king, has knocked out eight consecutive foes.

Inoue-Doheny headlines a star-studded card streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+. This special early morning broadcast will also include WBO bantamweight world champion Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs) defending his belt against former flyweight world champion Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KOs).

Venezuelan puncher Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23 KOs) will defend his interim junior welterweight world title versus rising Japanese contender Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18 KOs) in undercard action.

“Naoya Inoue is a generational talent, and every time he fights, the boxing world stops to watch the master at work,” said Top Rank Chairman 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.”

Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) claimed his first world title more than 10 years ago and is 22-0 with 20 knockouts in world championship fights. Inoue’s undisputed legacy began in December 2022 when he knocked out Paul Butler to unify all the bantamweight titles. He then consolidated the super bantamweight division in short order, capturing the WBC and WBO world titles by stopping Stephen Fulton in eight in July 2023 before vanquishing WBA/IBF champion Marlon Tapales that December. The 31-year-old powerhouse, named 2023 Fighter of the Year by ESPN and Ring Magazine, returned to headline at the historic Tokyo Dome in May. In the first boxing card there since Buster Douglas shocked Mike Tyson in 1990, Inoue survived a first-round knockdown to KO Mexican two-division champ Luis Nery in six.

Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) has a rich history in Japan and against Japanese fighters. He is 3-0 against Japanese fighters and 4-0 on Japanese soil, with three victories as the betting underdog. Doheny dethroned IBF junior featherweight world champion Ryosuke Iwasa on enemy territory in August 2018. He defended the belt against Japanese challenger Ryohei Takahashi via 11th-round TKO the following January before losing the strap to Danny Roman in a close unification fight that April. Despite some setbacks, Doheny has rebounded with three consecutive wins on Japanese turf. He defeated Kazuki Nakajima via fourth-round TKO in June 2023, blasted out Japhethlee Llamido by first-round stoppage last October, and triumphed over Bryl Bayogos in four rounds on the Inoue-Nery undercard.




Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Smarts over power
    By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
    By Dong Secuya, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • 21-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
    By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Crawford to defy odds?
    By Joaquin Henson, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Sydney Sy Tancontian is Female Awardee of Sports Hero of the Year
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.