IRISH boxer TJ Doheny has won the IBF World Super Bantamweight title in Japan.
The Port Laoise is the new world champion after beating Japan's Ryosuke Iwasa in a unanimous decision at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo yesterday.
The win has moved the 31-year-old to 20 career fights unbeaten and makes him the third reigning Irish world champion alongside Ryan Burnett and Katie Taylor.
Japan’s Ryosuke started the fight on the front foot, inflicting a deep cut under Doheny's eye by the end of the second round.
The defending champion looked relatively comfortable at that stage, easily avoiding a series of wild left hooks from Doheny and countering well.
Doheny took hold of the fight from midway through the 12-round contest however, repeatedly landing his jab and a succession of body shots.
The final bell rang as Doheny triumphantly threw his hands in the air.
The judges scored the fight 115-113, 116-112 and 117-112 in favour of Doheny, who becomes only the second boxer from Ireland or the UK to win a world title in Japan after Wayne McCullough.
Delighted for @TjDoheny hard work pays off! Ireland has another boxing world champion #FightingIrish ☘👊 pic.twitter.com/IcavGqtgQo
— Gary Spike OSullivan (@spike_osullivan) August 16, 2018
