TJ Doheny’s bid to become the undisputed super-bantamweight world champion fell short after a seventh-round injury prevented him from continuing his fight with Japanese star Naoya Inoue in Tokyo.
Having taken several punishing body shots from the four-weight world champion, the Irishman appeared to signal he had injured his hip with Inoue declared the winner by technical knockout.
It is a fifth career defeat for 37-year-old Doheny, while Inoue improves his record to 28-0.
In an unfortunate and anti-climactic conclusion to the fight, Doheny raised his right arm after having taken a straight right hand from the 31-year-old Inoue.
After briefly returning to his corner, Doheny crossed the ring and congratulated Inoue, who is regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Doheny, a 12-year veteran who held the IBF super-bantamweight world title from 2018 to 2019, had hoped to cause a major upset after reviving his career over the past year.
The southpaw, who has long been based in Australia, lost four out of six fights between April 2019 and March 2023, but rebounded by securing three wins in Japan to earn a shot against the 2023 ESPN and Ring magazine fighter of the year.
But while the Irishman gave a good account of himself at Ariake Arena, Inoue looked in control for most of the bout before Doheny’s injury.
After a cagey opening round, Inoue went to work on Doheny’s body, landed a telling straight right hand and defended cogently as he demonstrated his impressive punching power and ringcraft.
