TJ Doheny added to Inoue vs Nery card, will replace Nery if needed
Earlier today it was announced that another bout had been added to the stacked May 6th show at the Tokyo Dome, with the bout serving not just as a standalone bout, but also adding pressure to one of the main event fighters, who now knows the show no longer depends on him, and if he fails to fulfil his obligations they have a built in replacement.
The bout that was announced is an 8 rounder Super Bantamweight bout between former IBF Super Bantamweight champion TJ Doheny (25-4, 19) and unbeaten Filipino fighter Bryl Bayogos (7-0-1, 2). On paper this isn't a great bout, though is still a solid enough match up for what is a supporting bout on a very, very deep card.
Deheny will enter this bout on the back of two stoppage wins, stopping Kazuki Nakajima and Japhethlee Llamido, and he's actually 3-0 in Japan, having also beaten Ryosuke Iwasa in Japan, and 3-0 against Japanese fighters, having also beaten Ryohei Takahashi. Aged 37 he is certainly on the back end of his career, but his wins against Nakajima and Llamido showed there was still life in the old dog, and with his power, toughness and experience he is still a very live fighter and holds a number of world rankings along with the WBO Asia Pacific title.
Bayogos on the other hand is an unbeaten 22 year old Filipino who will be taking a huge leap up in class, and will know this is a great opportunity to generate some attention for himself, with a win over Doheny being a career changing win. This will be his first bout outside of the Philippines and will be his first against a fighter of any real note, with his best win so far coming against the rugged and hard hitting, but limited, Ryan Rey Ponteras back in October. He'll be seen as the a massive under-dog, but will know he's getting the opportunity of life time here.
The more notable thing about this bout isn't the fight it's self however. Instead it's a the clever little move by Ohashi, who revealed that if Mexican puncher Luis Nery (35-1, 27) fails to come in under 122lbs for his planned fight with Undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23) [井上尚弥] that bout will be off and Doheny will move from his under-card bout into becoming Inoue's opponent. This essentially sees Ohashi learning from Teiken's mistakes, and having an opponent waiting in the wings if Nery tries any shenanigans, as he did against former WBC Bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka in their rematch, where Nery missed weight before stopping Yamanaka.
Ohashi explained at a press conference that "We have scheduled the match as a reserve for Neri.I have also informed Doheny and received his approval. If Neri is even a little over the limit, it will be Naoya Inoue vs. Doheny".
It was revealed today that Nery recently weighed 58.7KG's, 130lbs, 30 days from the fight. Whilst he should lose the remaining 8lbs without any real worries, it's clear that Ohashi has played a smart card here in getting a reserve opponent on the show, which does happen in some countries, but very rarely in Japan.
Whilst an Inoue Vs Doheny bout would be a clear step down from Inoue Vs Nery, it's clear Ohashi is having a zero-tolerance approach to Nery, and the Doheny bout, if it takes place, also works to help set up Inoue Vs Sam Goodman, and makes that potential fight an even bigger story in Australia, where Doheny is based.
The bout that was announced is an 8 rounder Super Bantamweight bout between former IBF Super Bantamweight champion TJ Doheny (25-4, 19) and unbeaten Filipino fighter Bryl Bayogos (7-0-1, 2). On paper this isn't a great bout, though is still a solid enough match up for what is a supporting bout on a very, very deep card.
Deheny will enter this bout on the back of two stoppage wins, stopping Kazuki Nakajima and Japhethlee Llamido, and he's actually 3-0 in Japan, having also beaten Ryosuke Iwasa in Japan, and 3-0 against Japanese fighters, having also beaten Ryohei Takahashi. Aged 37 he is certainly on the back end of his career, but his wins against Nakajima and Llamido showed there was still life in the old dog, and with his power, toughness and experience he is still a very live fighter and holds a number of world rankings along with the WBO Asia Pacific title.
Bayogos on the other hand is an unbeaten 22 year old Filipino who will be taking a huge leap up in class, and will know this is a great opportunity to generate some attention for himself, with a win over Doheny being a career changing win. This will be his first bout outside of the Philippines and will be his first against a fighter of any real note, with his best win so far coming against the rugged and hard hitting, but limited, Ryan Rey Ponteras back in October. He'll be seen as the a massive under-dog, but will know he's getting the opportunity of life time here.
The more notable thing about this bout isn't the fight it's self however. Instead it's a the clever little move by Ohashi, who revealed that if Mexican puncher Luis Nery (35-1, 27) fails to come in under 122lbs for his planned fight with Undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23) [井上尚弥] that bout will be off and Doheny will move from his under-card bout into becoming Inoue's opponent. This essentially sees Ohashi learning from Teiken's mistakes, and having an opponent waiting in the wings if Nery tries any shenanigans, as he did against former WBC Bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka in their rematch, where Nery missed weight before stopping Yamanaka.
Ohashi explained at a press conference that "We have scheduled the match as a reserve for Neri.I have also informed Doheny and received his approval. If Neri is even a little over the limit, it will be Naoya Inoue vs. Doheny".
It was revealed today that Nery recently weighed 58.7KG's, 130lbs, 30 days from the fight. Whilst he should lose the remaining 8lbs without any real worries, it's clear that Ohashi has played a smart card here in getting a reserve opponent on the show, which does happen in some countries, but very rarely in Japan.
Whilst an Inoue Vs Doheny bout would be a clear step down from Inoue Vs Nery, it's clear Ohashi is having a zero-tolerance approach to Nery, and the Doheny bout, if it takes place, also works to help set up Inoue Vs Sam Goodman, and makes that potential fight an even bigger story in Australia, where Doheny is based.