Yamato Damashii – TJ Doheny vows to evoke Japanese Spirit and go to WAR with ‘Monster’ Inoue
TJ Doheny says he wonât hide from the Monster after securing the chance to become an undisputed world champion.
Official confirmation Doheny will fight undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue came on Tuesday morning.
The Australian-based Irish fighter’ will challenge for his old IBF as well as the WBA, WBO and WBC straps at the Ariake Arena on September 3.
It’s a huge fight against a huge puncher for the Laois native but a huge challenge he is adamant he won’t shy away from.
âThe Powerâ promises a power play and says he will look to test the chin of the pound-for-pound star, who often scares opponents into a defensive shell.
â[We are] the two hardest punchers with the most exciting styles left in the division,â Doheny told Irish-boxing.com. â[I] can only predict a war.
âYou wonât see me fightinâ scared in there like all those other wage thieves,â he adds before saying he will evoke the Japanese warrior spirit against the Japanese hero.
âI will put it all on the line for the Japanese fans! Iâm coming with Yamato Damashii.â
Doheny made four wins from four fights in Japan by stopping Bryl Bayogos in the Tokyo Dome earlier this year.
That win was earned on the undercard of Inoueâs dramatic stoppage win over Luis Nery. Interestingly, if Nery hadnât made weight or was forced to pull out for any reason the Australian-based Portlaoise native would have have stepped in.
He says the possibility of challenging for all four of âThe Monsterâsâ titles wasnât a distraction in the build-up to his own fight and points out he would have been ready for the world champion if the chance arose then.
âIt wasnât a distraction in any sense,â he tells Irish-boxing.com
âI went over there fully prepared to do a job on whoever it may have been in the ring with me that night. Inoue would have brought a lot more gears out of me as he is a much higher calibre fighter and thatâs what brings the best out of me.â