Inoue Issues Scathing Challenge To Ball: ‘Two Fists Are Enough,’ Demands Value Increase After Controversial Doheny Victory Marred By Illegal Kick And Wrestling Tactics

Naoya Inoue posted a message to WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball after his win over TJ Doheny, telling him that they both need 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 at the 5’2″ mini-cannon Ball’s decision to kick the 38-year-old TJ Doheny (26-6, 20 to the canvas in the first round after he briefly had him in a headlock.

The referee should have immediately disqualified Ball for kicking TJ Doheny because that is uncalled for in boxing. What made it worse is Doheny went down on the canvas and was clearly hurt. He stayed down for a long time before getting back up.

Wrestling Tactics

The kicking was just part of the roughhouse tactics that Nick Ball used in the fight. He also threw Doheny to the canvas twice, using professional wrestling moves that would have made any WWE wrestler proud.

The referee finally took a point off from Ball for the first body slam, but he should 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 break, but it didn’t look that way. Doheny’s headlock was just a momentary thing. It appeared that the TRUE reason Ball kicked him because the old guy was schooling him throughout the first round, and continued to do so in rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Doheny’s Dominance 

Nick appeared frustrated and angry that he was eating straight lefts from Doheny and being dominated by a guy that was supposed to be over-the-hill. The skills that he showed in the fight were far above what Ball had, and one could tell that if TJ were younger, he’d have been too much 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 each other’s value https://t.co/iCJdtec7fD

— 井上尚弥 Naoya Inoue (@naoyainoue_410) March 16, 2025

“I did what I had 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 in the leg. I probably shouldn’t have done it because it could have been worse. It’s something to learn from and not get involved in.

“I’m not just going to wait around for him [Naoya Inoue] to come up and fight me. I want to keep doing what I do, which is fighting, staying busy and getting the titles. I feel I should have the WBC, green and gold belt [held by featherweight champion Stephen Fulton]. That’s the one I’d like to fight for in the meantime. If he does move up, I’ll be waiting for him,” said Ball about Inoue.