On September 3rd we’ll see
Undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24) [井上尚弥] defending his title against former IBF champion TJ Doheny (26-4, 19). Today, as part of the preparation for the bout Inoue took part in a media work out and press conference at the Ohashi Gym, alongside promoter Hideyuki Ohashi and trainer Shingo Inoue.At the event Inoue made it clear that he wasn’t cutting corners for what many expect to be an easy fight for him. The monster stated "Rather than burning out at the Tokyo Dome, this is one fight to accelerate me from here on out. I hope you look forward to seeing Naoya Inoue step up his game." He went on to add that he was in very much training as hard for this bout as he has for any "There are less than two weeks until the match, but I'm moving just as I imagined and I'm in good shape. I was conscious of not letting my guard down, and I practiced harder than ever before and pushed myself really hard. Even a little carelessness can lead to injury, so I want to finish without even the slightest deviation."
Interestingly the Monster made it clear that neither he, nor Doheny, is looking for a decision. He explained "I know Doheny is coming. I don't think he's thinking about winning by decision. That's why I'll be careful of the first punch and concentrate. A decision finish is not acceptable. The best thing to do is to create good momentum and finish the fight when it's time to do it."
Shingo made it clear that his son is against a dangerous fighter, explaining "Doheny is a former world champion and physically strong. We mustn't let our guard down at all." Despite that he does have full confidence in his son adding "I personally think Naoya is in good condition and has a high level of awareness. He needs to fight calmly. If he can do that, there will be no problem."
As for Ohashi he rates Doheny highly highly and that’s not a surprise with this being the 4th straight fight Doheny has had on an Ohashi promoted show. In analysing Doheny, we saw Ohashi explain "He's not as fast as Neri, but his punches are heavier. Like Neri, he's a fighter who is determined to win and defeat his opponents. He's beaten Nakajima (Kazuki Nakajima) and Llamido (Japhethlee Llamido), and has never lost in Japan. His experience and power cannot be underestimated. His skills are greater than Neri's”
As for the work out, it was a rather long one, with many of these training sessions being very short recently, and saw Inoue take part in 3 rounds of shadow boxing and 2 rounds on the heavy bag, looking sharp, crisp and accurate through out the session.
