Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue would be favored to beat any fighter in his weight class and he’s a prohibitive -5000 to turn back the challenge of Irishman TJ Doheny in Tokyo on September 3.
However, despite his concussive punching power earning him 24 knockouts in 27 straight wins, Inoue is so much more than just a big hitter. The sum of his parts makes the 31-year-old champion special, with his speed, technique, punch variety and ring IQ every bit as important in establishing his pound-for-pound credentials.
WATCH: Naoya Inoue vs. TJ Doheny, exclusively on ESPN+
While the 37-year-old Doheny will enter the ring as a snow-white underdog, he is a former IBF super bantamweight champion and a world-class contender. A hard-hitting southpaw, the 37-year-old Doheny comes into the fight in good form with three consecutive stoppage wins on Japanese soil.
The Sporting News looks at how Inoue might defuse this latest challenger.
How does Naoya Inoue beat TJ Doheny?
While Inoue is the younger, faster, and more technically gifted fighter, he is the naturally smaller man in this matchup.
“The Monster” began his career at 108 pounds in October 2012 and has gradually climbed through the divisions, winning titles at light flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight and super bantamweight.
Meanwhile, Doheny turned professional in April 2012 and weighed 124.5 pounds. His championship weight has always been super bantamweight (122 pounds) and he’s known as a puncher with 20 knockouts in 26 wins and only four defeats.
The challenger’s southpaw stance has to be respected because he has fight-ending power in the straight left hand down the middle. While the odds suggest otherwise, Doheny is dangerous and shouldn’t be underestimated.
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With that being the case, we can expect Inoue to pick the lock before kicking down the door. Possessing better movement, the Japanese star will keep his left foot outside Doheny’s right foot to create a path for straight shots down the middle. This will force the challenger to reset, and Inoue will have a field day offensively.
One thing that is often underestimated about Inoue is his ability to judge distance. We saw it in his wonderful dismantling of the previously unbeaten Stephen Fulton in July of last year. Fulton, also a southpaw, was kept at bay by a busting left jab to the mid-section that would invariably set up the pulverizing right hand that all but ended the fight in round eight.
That punch will probably be in evidence against Doheny, and my hunch is that Inoue solves this puzzle before the midway point.
Naoya Inoue record, stats bio
- Nationality: Japanese
- Born: April 10, 1993
- Height: 5-5 ½
- Reach: 67.5 in
- Total Fights: 27
- Record: 27-0 (24 KOs)
TJ Doheny record, stats bio
- Nationality: Irish
- Born: November 2, 1986
- Height: 5-5 ½
- Reach: 68 in
- Total Fights: 30
- Record: 26-4 (20 KOs)