TJ Doheny’s remarkable run to Naoya Inoue

TJ Doheny is preparing to face the greatest Japanese boxer of all time, but the Australia-based Irishman is no stranger to dominating fighters from the land of the rising sun.

Doheny will enter the match-up against Naoya Inoue with a world of confidence when he clashes with the undisputed junior-featherweight champion at the Ariake Arena in Japan on September 3.

The southpaw slugger is on the heels of three straight technical knockout wins in Japan against Bryl Bayogos, Japhethlee Llamido and Kazuki Nakajima, inside a combined nine rounds.

Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) became the 122lbs IBF champion in Japan in 2018, scoring a competitive unanimous decision against Ryosuke Iwasa. He defended his title against Japan’s Ryohei Takahashi in New York, which brings his record against Nippon fighters to a perfect 5-0. 

But Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) is no ordinary foe – the world’s best boxer has pulverized everyone who has come across his path over the past 12 years. 

Boxing agents Sean Gibbons and Mike Altamura have handled Doheny’s career for nearly a decade. 

Although Inoue is listed as a -5000 betting favorite, Gibbons is bullish that his charge has a serious chance to shock the four-division champion, who at 31 is six years younger than Doheny. 

“TJ is a very deserving opponent,” Gibbons told BoxingScene. “He has a very storied history in Japan and he peaked at the right time. I think he is going to surprise people. Inoue has never really been hit because he’s that good. TJ brings a lot to the table and he has to try to mug him and rough him up because he’s not going to outbox him. He has nothing to lose. He’ll come in relaxed and comfortable.”

Gibbons said Doheny was at a low point in his life during recent losses, and forced to keep a job while dealing with other issues out of the ring.

His first career loss came during his spirited second title defense in 2019 against Daniel Roman via majority decision. That defeat started a 2-4 stretch for Doheny, including decision losses against Ionut Baluta in 2020, Michael Conlan in 2021 and Sam Goodman in 2023. 

But at 37, Doheny appears to have turned the corner after three big wins in Japan, and there has been talk of his “mythical status” in the country.  

He must now muster everything he has against Inoue, who is coming off a sixth-round stoppage win against Luis Nery in May. Doheny beat Bayogos on the undercard; Inoue suffered his first career knockdown against Nery only to remarkably recover and bulldoze his way past the villain. 

With no immediate plans to move up to 126lbs, and having already put the division’s top dogs to sleep, Doheny is the next one who’s getting a bite at Inoue. 

“I expect a good, spirited fight, but in my opinion, nobody around that weight can defeat The Monster,” said Inoue’s co-promoter Bob Arum, who earlier this year said the pound-for-pound kingpin was one of the greatest fighters he’d ever seen.

Inoue could have opted for stiffer tests than Doheny, but he declined a date against WBA mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and passed on waiting for Goodman to recover from a broken hand after appearing to give him a shot immediately after the fight with Nery. 

“TJ is physically a very strong guy – I don’t think he will lose steam,” said Gibbons. “He’s going to get in, stay on top of Inoue to close the gap and bang the body to try and slow him down.” 

Try. That’s the operative word for everyone who faces Inoue before they eventually fail. The three-letter word is true for Gibbons, too, because Inoue’s past three opponents – Nery, Marlon Tapales and Stephen Fulton – have been handled by the lifelong boxing agent in some form or fashion. 

“I got one more shot at the big one,” said Gibbons. 

So does Doheny. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine, and more. He’s been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.