Naoya Inoue retained all his world titles in a lethal but expected rout over Irish challenger TJ Doheny. The two headlined at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on September 3rd. Further showcasing their abilities were several other fighters, including the co-main event between Yoshiki Takei and Daigo Higa who battled closely to the last bell.

The super bantamweight (122 lbs) title bout between Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KO’s) and TJ Doheny (26-5, 20 KO’s) saw the undisputed Japanese champion put all his world titles on the line. As customary for championship matches, their bout was scheduled for 12 rounds.

Likely as a result of the first-round knockdown he suffered during his last fight, Naoya Inoue notably started slower than usual, but nonetheless largely dominated most of his rounds. The southpaw stance of the 37-year old Doheny caused plenty of issues, particularly in the earlier rounds, and combined with his toughness the Irishman proved to be a tougher competitor than initially anticipated.

Inoue’s defense and ring IQ was one of the resounding factors of his battle with Doheny, preventing his opponent from gaining a proper foothold though Doheny himself showed his experience. The Irish challenger’s elusiveness and feints also posed several problems throughout the fight for Naoya Inoue, but the Japanese champion nonetheless managed to keep up a rapid-high pace with his body shots and combinations eventually allowing Inoue to course through his rounds seamlessly following the 5th round.

The 6th round became Inoue’s most dominant round as he stepped up his aggressiveness to unleash on Doheny. Doheny’s defense faltered as Inoue’s combinations opened him up, leading to a clear-won round for the Japanese champion.

In the 7th round, the fight ended within the first minute as Naoya Inoue again continued a barrage, eventually dropping Doheny with a stunning left hand to the body that resulted in Doheny dropping to his knees late. He was counted out while standing, showing himself unable to continue―due to an injury to the leg or back―and allowing Inoue to claim a fashionable 7th round victory by technical knockout (TKO). Inoue retained his WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF titles as a result.

Undercard Results:

• Japanese WBO bantamweight (118 lbs) champion Yoshiki Takei (10-0, 8 KO’s) was set to defend his title for the first time—since acquiring it earlier this year—against Daigo Higa (21-3-1, 19 KO’s), but was met with plenty of resistance that nearly threatened to cut short his reign as a champion.
  
  The southpaw style of the 29-year old Higa and his left hand proved to be a massive challenge for the lesser-experienced Takei who struggled to adapt. A combination of boxing, well-timed jabs and counters mostly kept Higa at bay, but Yoshiki Takei nonetheless battled evenly against Higa who mostly opted to pressure Takei.
  
  In the 11th round, Daigo Higa seemed ahead on the cards after a left hand resulted in Takei being knocked down, though this arguably could have merely been a slip. Either way, it was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the closeness of the bout, with the 12th and final championship round considered the best chance for both fighters to grab a victory on the cards.
  
  Takei, 28, proceeded to dominate the last round, his consistent barrage of punches plaguing Higa throughout the round and causing several moments where Higa appeared on the brink of being knocked down, stopped or even knocked out. After the three minutes had passed, the tense affair of the scorecards being announced subsided to eventually point Yoshiki Takei as the winner by unanimous decision (UD) through scorecards of 115-112, and 114-113—the latter scorecards better depicting the close, equal battle the two had went through.
  
  As a result of his victory, Takei retained his WBO 118 lbs title.
  
• Interim WBA super lightweight (140 lbs) Venezuelan champion Ismael Barroso (25-5-2, 23 KO’s) had a tough night as he defended his belt against Japanese contender Andy Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KO’s). The two battled all the way to the 9th round but it was Hiraoka who would grab a career-defining victory as he stopped the 41-year old Barroso in a fight he largely dominated.
  
  Hiraoka now enjoys the status of being a WBA interim 140 lbs champion following his victory over Barroso.