‘Monster’ Inoue ididepensa ang kaniyang titulo laban kay Doheny ng Ireland
Undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue (right) will defend his titles against Ireland's TJ Doheny in Tokyo in September / Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP
Inanunsiyo ng Japanese boxer na si Naoya “Monster” Inoue, na ididepensa niya ang kaniyang undisputed super-bantamweight world belts, laban kay TJ Doheny ng Ireland sa Ariake Arena ng Tokyo sa Setyembre.
Tinalo ng undefeated na si Inoue si Luis Nery ng Mexico, sa harap ng 55,000 fans sa Tokyo Dome sa huli niyang laban noong Mayo.
Ito ang unang boxing card na ginanap sa venue simula nang patumbahin ng underdog na si James “Buster” Douglas, ang unbeaten heavyweight champion na si Mike Tyson doon noong February 1990, na isa sa itinuturing na ‘biggest upsets’ ng boxing.
Ayon kay Inoue, “Being able to fight at the Tokyo Dome was a special match for me in my career as a boxer, and I feel that I have surpass that performance with this next fight.”
Ang 31-year-old na si Inoue, na may 27-0 win-loss record (24 KOs), ang pinakapaboritong makalaban ni Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs), na siyang may hawak sa IBF super-bantamweight world title mula 2018 hanggang 2019.
Tinalo ng 37-year-old Irishman si Bryl Bayagos ng Pilipinas sa Inoue undercard sa Tokyo Dome sa huli niyang laban.
Sabi ni Inoue, “Doheny has had some really good fights recently and I don’t want to take my eye off the ball. He has knocked out boxers who I have sparred with and he can produce the goods in his fights.”
Muling ipinakita ni Inoue ang kaniyang lakas laban kay Nery sa una niyang title defence mula nang maging undisputed super-bantamweight world champion, noong nakaraang Disyembre.
Si Inoue ang ikalawang lalaki na naging undisputed world champion sa dalawang magkaibang weight division, mula nang mag-umpisa ang four-belt noong 2004. Ang American boxer na si Terence Crawford ang una.
Samantala, ididepensa rin ni Yoshiki Takei ang kaniyang bantamweight world title laban s akapwa niya Japanese boxer na si Daigo Higa sa undercard.
Tinalo ni Takei si Jason Moloney ng Australia noong Mayo upang makuha ang WBO belt.
