Japan's Naoya Inoue, the unified super bantamweight champion (WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO), has chosen Tokyo to put all his belts on the line. This will take place in September and his opponent, who will have the chance to take all his titles, will be Irishman TJ Doheny.

The announcement was made last Tuesday and there are now just two and a half months to go until this much-anticipated super bantamweight clash. Both of these boxers have impressive records. The Japanese champion, who is younger than his 31-year-old opponent, has 27 wins, 24 of them by knockout. 

His numbers are outstanding. He has a deadly punch and his opponents have rarely managed to stay on their feet for the duration of the rounds.

Few boxers currently have the opportunity to claim the four major organisation belts. Mexican Saul Alvarez holds all four world titles (WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO) at super-middleweight, while Ukrainian Usyk recently became the undisputed heavyweight champion after beating Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia.

Inoue will face TJ Doheny in Tokyo, his 37-year-old opponent with a record of 26 wins, 20 by knockout, and four losses. The Irishman is an experienced boxer who held the IBF super bantamweight title in 2018 and 2019.
Japanese boxer Yoshiki Takei will defend his WBO bantamweight title against compatriot Daigo Higa on the same card.

The announcement finally unveiled something that had been highly anticipated in the boxing world, as fans eagerly waited to find out who Inoue's opponent would be. The news was revealed during a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo. It was also announced that the fight would take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on 3 September.

Inoue's last fight was fresh in everyone's mind. It took place in the Tokyo Dome in May 2024 and attracted over 40,000 spectators. He did not disappoint, knocking out Mexican Luis Nery.

There had always been speculation that Inoue would move up to featherweight, given his dominance and the titles he has won in the super bantamweight division. He has yet to find a worthy challenger. However, the Japanese boxer himself has rejected the idea, at least for the time being. 

On 3 September, he will once again prove his mettle by putting all four belts on the line. Boxing is full of surprises, however, and the odds are in his favour.

After his last victory over Mexican Nery in May, pundits claimed that Inoue had become the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world. 'The Monster', as he is known, has always been criticised for never fighting outside his home country.

This is quite remarkable, especially now that Saudi Arabia is taking over the boxing industry, with the permission of the United States. The United States will always be the Mecca of boxing. Nevertheless, he never fails. 

He always wins, which increases his marketability. In addition, he always fights during the week, in keeping with Japanese tradition, which also breaks with the norms of boxing history. In any case, Inoue is so good that he can afford to do all this. At least until someone manages to beat him.