Naoya Inoue posted a message to WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball after his win over TJ Doheny, telling him that they each have to “increase” their “value” before they meet for a fight.
The Illegal Kick
The Japanese superstar ‘Monster’ Inoue 29-0, 26 KOs) added that he only needs “two fists” for him to defeat Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs). This was likely a jab on the 5’2″ mini-cannon Ball’s decision to kick the 38-year-old TJ Doheny (26-6, 20 to the canvas in the primary round after he briefly had him in a headlock.
The referee must have immediately disqualified Ball for kicking TJ Doheny because that’s uncalled for in boxing. What made it worse is Doheny went down on the canvas and was clearly hurt. He stayed down for a very long time before getting back up.
Wrestling Tactics
The kicking was just a part of the roughhouse tactics that Nick Ball utilized in the fight. He also threw Doheny to the canvas twice, using skilled wrestling moves that will have made any WWE wrestler proud.
The referee finally took some extent off from Ball for the primary body slam, but he must have DQ’d him because that was way overboard.
Ball claims that he kicked TJ because he kept holding him in a headlock after the referee called for them to interrupt, however it didn’t look that way. Doheny’s headlock was only a momentary thing. It appeared that the TRUE reason Ball kicked him since the old guy was education him throughout the primary round, and continued to accomplish that in rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Doheny’s Dominance
Nick appeared frustrated and offended that he was eating straight lefts from Doheny and being dominated by a man that was purported to be over-the-hill. The talents that he showed within the fight were far above what Ball had, and one could tell that if TJ were younger, he’d have been an excessive amount of for him. Ball was exposed by the old guy, and made to look overrated.
Two fists are enough for me 👊🏽👊🏽 https://t.co/s8HNLmSZYE
— 井上尚弥 Naoya Inoue (@naoyainoue_410) March 16, 2025
until that day comes, let’s increase one another’s value https://t.co/iCJdtec7fD
— 井上尚弥 Naoya Inoue (@naoyainoue_410) March 16, 2025
“I did what I needed to do to get the job done,” said Nick Ball to iFL TV about his win over the 38-year-old TJ Doheny last Saturday night in Liverpool. “After the bell, he had me in a headlock and he kept holding me after the ref said ‘break,’ and he kept holding me. I kneed him within the leg. I probably shouldn’t have done it since it might have been worse. It’s something to learn from and never get entangled in.
“I’m not only going to attend around for him [Naoya Inoue] to come back up and fight me. I need to maintain doing what I do, which is fighting, staying busy and getting the titles. I feel I must have the WBC, green and gold belt [held by featherweight champion Stephen Fulton]. That’s the one I’d wish to fight for within the meantime. If he does move up, I’ll be waiting for him,” said Ball about Inoue.
Last Updated on 03/16/2025
