The undercard is set for Naoya Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight title defense against TJ Doheny on September 3 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Four-division champion Inoue, 27-0 (24 KOs), is one of the leading fighters in the world while Australia-based Irishman Doheny is 26-4 (20 KOs) and popular in Japan after several underdog victories in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Co-feature on the card sees WBO bantamweight world champion Yoshiki Takei, 9-0 (8 KOs), make his first defense against former WBC flyweight champion Daigo Higa, who is 21-2-1 (19 KOs).
At junior welterweight, veteran Ismael Barroso (pictured), 25-4-2 (23 KOs), a 41-year-old Venezuelan puncher, returns following January’s first-round knockout of Ohara Davies, against Japanese star Andy Hiraoka, who is making his first appearance of 2024 after last December’s fifth-round TKO over Sebastian Diaz Maldonado on the Inoue-Marlon Tapales undercard.
Jin Sasaki, 17-1-1 (16 KOs) takes on Australian Qamil Balla, who is 15-1-1 (8 KOs). Sasaki is ranked No. 2 by the WBO and has knocked out his last five opponents while Balla has won four in a row since a decision defeat to countryman George Kambosos Jr.
Japanese junior featherweight Toshiki Shimomachi,18-1-3 (12 KOs), meets Ryuya Tsugawa, 13-1 (9 KOs) over 10 rounds. Shimomachi is unbeaten in his last 19 fights and making the third defense of his Japanese title. Knockout artist Tsugawa is on a nine-fight winning streak, including eight victories by stoppage.
Read the full article here
