There haven't been many people willing to step into the ring against Naoya Inoue lately. He's passed through four weight classes in twelve years and cleared them all. Experts believe that his upcoming fight will be his easiest in years. Here is our Inoue vs Doheny prediction.
Inoue vs Doheny Prediction: These Two Shouldn't Even Be In the Same Room
Naoya Inoue Preview
Who would have thought a decade and a half ago, when Naoya Inoue was competing as an amateur, that he would truly become a ‘Monster' in the future? As a teenager, he competed in continental Asian championships but didn't achieve any success.
Then he made his debut at the World Championships in Baku and lost in the third round. He then failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London and decided to go professional. But he definitely wasn't looking like the legend we know today.
As early as his sixth professional fight, he won the WBC light flyweight title by defeating Adrian Hernandez. Throughout the next few years, he would move up twice, winning belts at junior bantamweight and then bantamweight, where he became the undisputed champion. He defeated numerous current and former world champions, including Jamie McDonnell, Juan Carlos Payano, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Nonito Donaire, etc.
Once he unified all the bantamweight belts, Inoue immediately announced that he was moving up to the next level. Within two fights, he defeated Stephen Fulton for his WBC and WBO titles and then Marlon Tapales for the WBA (Super) and IBF super bantamweight belts, becoming the third boxer to become the undisputed champion in two weight classes.
The Monster last fought in May 2024 and defeated Luis Nery with a knockout in the 6th round. Having seen his most recent fights and the level of his previous opponents, this truly seems like his easiest bout in years. But before we can give our Inoue vs Doheny prediction, we have to look at both sides of the ring.
TJ Doheny Preview
TJ Doheny is much less known than the Japanese. The Australian of Irish descent decided to become a boxer in his youth and also started out as an amateur. However, like Inoue, he did not earn much laurels.
He fought in his homeland of Ireland and became the national champion, but there were no victories at the international level. At the age of 28, TJ turned professional. At that time, he was already living in Australia.
Having amassed a 19-0 professional record within less than six years, Doheny was given the biggest opportunity of his career. He traveled to Japan to fight the IBF super bantamweight champion of the time, Ryosuke Iwasa. After a full 12-round fight, he was crowned via unanimous decision.
It was around that time when his career went downhill. Doheny managed to make one defense of the belt but lost it less than a year later to Daniel Roman. He lost four of his next six bouts, often to lesser opponents. But he managed to win three in a row since June 2023, therefore earning a chance to fight the Monster.
Our Naoya Inoue vs TJ Doheny Prediction
The fight against Doheny is definitely not the move that was expected of Inoue. All of his previous fights were against exceptional athletes – reigning champions, recent former champions, and boxing legends. All of them are incredibly gifted and technical, and most are distinguished knockout artists. TJ, with all due respect, only makes the ‘Former Champions' list.
Looking at Inoue and his recent performances, this bout feels like a break while staying active. Doheny is 37 years old and even with three wins in a row, he doesn't deserve to fight for the undisputed title.
Curiously, Doheny has never been knocked out. But he hasn't faced someone like the Monster either. Naoya Inoue has 24 knockouts in 27 wins. He has exceptional timing, a quick and heavy jab, close-to-ideal bodywork, and a devastating straight right. The Japanese can adapt to any fighting style and feels equally comfortable as the first number or while counterattacking. There is no other option but to pick the knockout for our Inoue vs Doheny prediction.
