Overlooked and Underestimated: The Unfulfilled Potential of Paul Butler’s Rival, Jason Doheny
Naoya Inoue’s Latest Title Defense: A Dominant Victory Over TJ Doheny
Naoya Inoue, known as the “strongest boxer in all weight classes,” has successfully defended his title once again. On September 3rd, he won by TKO in the seventh round against former IBF World Super Bantamweight champion TJ Doheny in the WBC, WBA Super, IBF, and WBO World Super Bantamweight unification match at Ariake Arena. The 31-year-old ”Monster” continues to advance with a record of 28 wins (25 KOs).
Doheny was eventually forced to withdraw due to a back injury. The scene of the 37-year-old veteran boxer being unable to walk on his own after the match and being supported by both shoulders as he left the ring was impactful. Although it wasn’t as powerful as Inoue’s usual KOs, the outcome of this fight may be talked about in a different way.
How should we interpret the content and outcome of this match? After the match, we asked Tom Gray, a British writer who was formerly the editor of Ring Magazine and now writes for Sporting News, for his opinion. Somewhat surprisingly, Gray, who is well versed in lightweight and Asian boxing, also gave high praise to Doheny’s fighting style that day.
Expert Analysis: Tom Gray’s Take on the Fight
The Southpaw Challenger Moved Around Calmly
Doheny was a huge underdog against Inoue, but I personally thought he fought well. The southpaw challenger moved around calmly, looking for an opportunity to land a left punch. The left was his signature punch, and it actually had enough power to make Inoue wary. He also had some ingenuity in his attack, such as following up a right jab with a left punch to the body, followed by a combination to the face.
As is the case in a southpaw vs orthodox fight, Doheny frustrated Inoue by stepping on his opponent’s front leg with his right foot. Even in close combat, he was not afraid of the monster’s powerful blows, and he fought calmly, showing the skill of a veteran everywhere.
As a result, the judges gave points to Doheny in the third and fourth rounds, as you know. Inoue doesn’t lose rounds like this very often.