Portlaoise super-bantamweight TJ Doheny [20-0] has claimed the IBF super bantamweight title with a hard-fought win over Ryosuke Iwasa in Kokugikan, Japan on Thursday.
Doheny looked very sharp in the early rounds and established his dominance in the ring before opening up on the champion in round six with some devastating combinations.
He continued to pick up the pace in round seven and caught Iwasa with a nice clean left hand to stop the 28-year-old's advances.
Doheny started to gas in the final rounds, and was sporting a noticeable cut below his right eye, but he rallied and held on to edge out a narrow win, despite trailing 116-113 on the television scorecards.
https://twitter.com/TjDoheny/status/1029632911522160641
The loss marked just the third defeat on Iwasa's career after previous defeats to compatriot Shinsuke Yamanaka and former IBF bantamweight champion Lee Haskins.
