Ryosuke Iwasa to face TJ Doheny on August 16

Japan’s Ryosuke Iwasa will defend his IBF super bantamweight title on August 16 against mandatory challenger TJ Doheny, as the camps have come to a deal to avoid going to purse bid,according to ESPN.com.

Iwasa (25-2, 16 KO) won the IBF belt last September, beating Yukinori Oguni via sixth round TKO. He defended in March, beating Ernesto Saulong by wide decision in Tokyo. Overall, the 28-year-old has won six straight fights since a stoppage loss to Lee Haskins back in 2015, which was Iwasa’s final fight in the bantamweight division before moving up.

Doheny, an Irishman fighting out of Australia, is 19-0 (14 KO), beat Thailand’s Mike Tawatchai last December in an eliminator in Bangkok, and most recently defeated veteran Mike Oliver in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day. The 31-year-old southpaw turned pro in 2012 and has worked his way up steadily, but he hasn’t faced what most people would consider a serious contender yet, so this will be another step up for him.