(Aug. 20, 2024) — Naoya “The Monster” Inoue will make defense number two of his undisputed super bantamweight crown against former world champion TJ Doheny on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
This special five-fight extravaganza will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 2:30 a.m. ET.
In the co-feature, WBO bantamweight world champion Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs) will make his first title defense against former WBC flyweight champion Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KOs).
Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs), the four-division world champion and pound-for-pound mainstay, has made Ariake Arena his boxing home in recent years. It’s the venue where he knocked out Paul Butler to win the undisputed bantamweight world title in December 2022, stopped then-unified super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton title in July 2023, and dominated Marlon Tapales over 10 rounds last December to become the undisputed super bantamweight king. Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) is 4-0 when fighting on Japanese soil, including May’s knockout of Bryl Bayogos on the Inoue-Luis Nery undercard at Tokyo Dome.
In other scheduled fight action on ESPN+:
Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23 KOs) vs. Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18 KOs), 12 Rounds, Junior Welterweight: Barroso, the 41-year-old Venezuelan puncher, returns following January’s first-round knockout of Ohara Davies. Japanese phenom Hiraoka makes his 2024 debut following last December’s fifth-round TKO over Sebastian Diaz Maldonado on the Inoue-Tapales undercard.
Jin Sasaki (17-1-1, 16 KOs) vs. Qamil Balla (15-1-1, 8 KOs), 12 Rounds, Welterweight: Action star Sasaki, ranked No. 2 by the WBO, has knocked out his last five opponents. Australia’s Balla has won four straight since a decision defeat to countryman George Kambosos Jr.
Toshiki Shimomachi (18-1-3, 12 KOs) vs. Ryuya Tsugawa (13-1, 9 KOs), 10 Rounds, Japanese Super Bantamweight Title: Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 19 fights, makes the third defense of his Japanese title. Knockout artist Tsugawa is riding a nine-fight winning streak, including eight by stoppage.
