Naoya “The Monster” Inoue (pictured) will make defense number two of his four-belt world super bantamweight championship against former title holder TJ Doheny on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. In the co-feature, WBO bantamweight 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). A special five-fight broadcast will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 2:30 a.m. ET. 

 

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 world bantamweight championship in December 2022, stopped two-belt super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton in July 2023, and dominated Marlon Tapales last December to become the undisputed world 122-pound king. 

 

Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) reigned as IBF 122-pound champion from 2018-2019. He is 4-0 when fighting on Japanese soil, including May’s knockout of Bryl Bayogos on Inoue-Luis Nery undercard at Tokyo Dome.

 

In other scheduled fight action on ESPN+:

 

Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23 KOs) faces Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18 KOs) in a twelve-round junior welterweight bout. 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.

 

At welterweight, Jin Sasaki (17-1-1, 16 KOs) battles Qamil Balla (15-1-1, 8 KOs) over a dozen rounds. Sasaki has knocked out his last five opponents while Australia’s Balla has won four straight since a decision defeat to countryman George Kambosos Jr.

 

In a ten rounder for the Japanese super bantamweight title, Toshiki Shimomachi (18-1-3, 12 KOs) defends against Ryuya Tsugawa (13-1, 9 KOs). 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.