Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery | Sky Sports - 6 May 2024

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Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery Planned For May, Says Nery Promoter Fernando Beltran

Unified junior featherweight champions Naoya Inoue and Marlon Tapales will be fighting for the undisputed crown on Dec. 26 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Former bantamweight and junior featherweight titlist and current 122-pound WBC mandatory challenger Luis Nery is patiently waiting to get a crack at the winner.

Should the -1400 betting favorite Inoue be the victor and decide to defend his crown at 122 pounds instead of moving up to 126 pounds, Zanfer Boxing head and Nery promoter Fernando Beltran already has big plans for his southpaw slugger.

“If Inoue does good, for sure we probably will meet Inoue in May,” Beltran told BS.com in an interview. “So honestly, I feel very confident in this fight. It’s a very good fight. I really believe that Nery is one of the best fighters, if not the best 122 pounder … I think [Inoue] will wait for Nery, and I believe Nery wins the fight.”

Beltran’s decades-long relationship with Inoue co-promoter Top Rank should factor in to get a potential deal done with relative ease. The fight would most likely be staged in Japan, where Inoue is a massive draw.

Nery wrote on social media on Thursday “big news” with emojis showing the Japanese flag, and an icon declaring soon.

The Tijuana-born and bred boxer is viewed as a villain of sorts in Japan, and Inoue has previously declared that a fight with Nery is the reason why he would remain at 122 pounds.

In 2017, Nery scored a fourth-round TKO win against long-reigning Japanese bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka in Kyoto. Nery tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol following the fight, a violation the WBC later labeled as contamination.

In the 2018 rematch against Yamanaka in Japan, Nery was three pounds overweight, lost his title on the scale, and received what was considered at the time a lifetime ban by the Japanese Boxing Commission. Nery ended up knocking out Yamanaka in two rounds; Yamanaka hasn’t fought since.

In recent years, Nery has fought through more weight issues and trainer changes while suffering his lone career loss to Brandon Figueroa in 2021. He’s also declared that Inoue doesn’t live up to his moniker of being “the monster.”

Nery has since bounced back and delivered a fight of the contending stoppage win against Azat Hovhannisyan in February.

The 29-year-old Nery last fought in July and scored a second-round TKO win against Froilan Saludar in Mexico.

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Naoya Inoue Next Fight Targeted For May, Likely WBC Mandatory Defense Versus Luis Nery

The victory lap will be brief.

Naoya Inoue has already begun plans for his next fight, a conversation that already took place in the background ahead of his latest fight. The four-division champion became a freshly crowned undisputed king after a tenth-round knockout of WBA/IBF titlist Marlon Tapales to fully unify the 122-pound division. Inoue held the WBC and WBO belts headed into the Lemino/ESPN+ main event from Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

His current vision now calls for a third fight within a ten-month span.

“We plan to return to the ring in May,” Inoue confirmed during his post-fight interview. “We can’t really discuss who that might be since we are in negotiations.”

As previously reported by Boxing Scene, Inoue will likely next defend versus WBC mandatory challenger and former two-division titlist Luis Nery. The four sanctioning bodies agreed to first allow Inoue-Tapales for the undisputed crown, where Inoue scored two knockdowns en route to the historic win.

Inoue previously told Boxing Scene that—with a win—his plan was to remain at junior featherweight through the end of 2024, that there remained several fights of interest at a weight where he feels comfortable.

Tijuana’s Nery (35-1, 27KOs) became the WBC number-one contender after his thrilling eleventh-round knockout of Azat Hovhannisyan on February 18 in Pomona, California. The bout remains a leading Fight of the Year contender, which saw Nery score two knockdowns and stop Hovhannisyan on his feet to earn his ranking.

Where such a fight takes place is of interest.

Yokohama’s Inoue (26-0, 23KOs) fought in his native Japan for the fifth straight time. However, Nery was previously issued a lifetime ban by the Japanese Boxing Commission after badly blowing weight ahead of a second-round knockout of Shinsuke Yamakaka in their March 2018 rematch.

Nery dethroned the previously unbeaten WBC bantamweight champion via fourth-round knockout in August 2017 to win the title. He tested positive for the banned substance Zilpaterol but attributed it to food contamination and was permitted to keep his title. The scale fail was a different matter, as his reign ended as well as his time in Japan.

Inoue has not fought in the U.S. since a June 2021 third-round knockout of Michael Dasmarinas in Las Vegas. His December 2021 return to Japan came in a routine title defense with available opposition limited due to Japan’s borders being closed to minimize the spike in Covid cases.

Since then, Inoue has enjoyed an historic run.

Tuesday’s win saw him become undisputed champion at two weight divisions in just under 54 weeks—quicker than any other boxer in history, male or female. His eighth-round knockout of Stephen Fulton to win the WBC/WBO 122-pound titles on July 25, marking the first Japanese boxer to hold unified title status at two more weights.

Last December, Inoue became the first Asian to fully unify a division in the three- or four-belt era after his eleventh-round knockout of Paul Butler brought together the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO bantamweight titles.

The win over Fulton was delayed by two months due to injury. Assuming both he and Nery (if that’s next) can stay healthy, a fight in May will mark his most active three-fight stretch since the start of the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament in 2018.

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Team Inoue Eyes Tokyo Dome, Saudi Arabia As Hosting Locations For Planned Three-Fight 2024 Campaign

Naoya Inoue will not be able to create as much history in 2024 as has been the case in his past few years.

The big event plans in store for the year ahead, however, could make him a lot richer.

Hideyuki Ohashi, Inoue’s career-long promoter and head of Ohashi Promotions, revealed plans to bring the four-division champion to the famed Tokyo Dome for at least his next fight in Japan. A trip to the Middle East could also be in the cards for Inoue’s forthcoming campaign.

“For [Inoue’s] next fight, I'm thinking about bigger venues, and I'm also thinking about Saudi Arabia,” noted Mr. Ohashi to media members Wednesday. “The Tokyo Dome is an option."

The concern over fighting in front of a limited audience was raised after Inoue’s tenth-round knockout of Marlon Tapales on Tuesday to fully unify the junior featherweight division. The historic event took place in front of a jam-packed crowd of 15,000 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The same venue has hosted each of Inoue’s past three fights, each time left with more fans on the waiting list than they were able to grant entrance.

Tokyo Dome boasts a 55,000-seat capacity. The venue has only hosted two major boxing events, both headlined by then unbeaten, undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson—including his monstrous February 1990 knockout defeat to Buster Douglas in what remains the benchmark for historic boxing upsets.

As previously reported by BS.com, Inoue and his team are currently in talks for a fight versus WBC mandatory challenger and former two-division titlist Luis Nery. The bout is targeted for next May.

With a win, Mr. Ohashi noted the possibility of a title defense versus WBA number-one contender Murodjon Akhmadaliev—whom Tapales dethroned to win the WBA and IBF titles in April—for Inoue’s Middle East debut. Such a bout would take place in September.

Inoue himself floated the idea of a voluntary title defense versus former three-division titlist John Riel Casimero as a third fight for 2024. Mr. Ohashi was not quite as giddy over the matchup, though Inoue views the matchup as unfinished business; they were due to meet in an April 2020 bantamweight unification clash in Las Vegas which was canceled due to the initial wave of the global pandemic.

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Sources: Naoya Inoue, Luis Nery agree to title bout in Tokyo

Naoya Inoue and Luis Nery have agreed to a deal for a May fight in Tokyo for Inoue's undisputed junior featherweight championship, sources told ESPN on Monday night.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) claimed ESPN Fighter of the Year honors when he KOed Marlon Tapales in Round 10 last month to become undisputed champion.

The Japanese star's victory followed an eighth-round TKO win over Stephen Fulton in July, when Inoue claimed two titles in his 122-pound debut. Inoue, 30, is ESPN's No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer.

Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) received an indefinite suspension from the Japan Boxing Commission in March 2018, but officials involved have been assured the Mexican will be reinstated, sources said.

The ban was handed down following Nery's pair of stoppage wins over Japan's longtime champion Shinsuke Yamanaka.

Nery scored a fourth-round TKO win over Yamanaka to capture the WBC bantamweight title in August 2017, but was suspended afterward when the banned substance zilpaterol was found in his system.

Nery argued the adverse finding was the result of tainted meat consumed in Mexico. In the March 2018 rematch, Nery stopped Yamanaka in Round 2 but did so after he weighed 121 pounds for a 118-pound title bout. The pair of violations led to the ban.

But Nery earned a shot against Inoue, who usually fights in Japan, when he scored an 11th-round KO over Azat Hovhannisyan in February. The WBC title eliminator was named ESPN's runner-up for Fight of the Year.

Nery, 29, has won four consecutive fights since his lone professional defeat, a seventh-round TKO vs. Brandon Figueroa in a May 2021 title fight. Nery is rated No. 3 by ESPN at 122 pounds.

Against Inoue, Nery faces long odds to become a two-time junior featherweight champion. "The Monster" is a generational talent fighting at the peak of his powers.

Inoue's undisputed title victory over Tapales was remarkably his second in as many weight classes in the past year. Inoue stopped Paul Butler in the 11th round of their December 2022 meeting to become undisputed champion at 118 pounds.

Inoue also reigned as champion at 108 and 115 pounds.

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Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery 122-Pound Championship Clash Planned For May 6 At Tokyo Dome

Naoya Inoue and Luis Nery inch closer to a deal that would provide by far their largest audience to date.

Boxing Scene has confirmed that the aforementioned undisputed junior featherweight championship matchup is targeted to take place on May 6—a Monday—at the famed Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

A deal was long in place for the fight itself. Boxing Scene has additionally learned that there was a hold on the venue since at least the start of the new year. However, plans are contingent upon the Japanese Boxing Commission (JBC) agreeing to lift Nery’s indefinite suspension.

Absent that, an alternate location will have to be secured since the fight is a WBC mandatory title defense. Tijuana’s Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) is the sanctioning body’s number-one contender and now in line to challenge for Inoue’s undisputed crown.

Inoue himself called for Nery to be the first of a planned three-fight campaign in 2024. His team was proactive in working with the JBC to lift a suspension that has been in place for Nery since his March 2018 rematch with Shinsuke Yamanaka, when he badly missed weight.

The development was viewed by the commission as a lack of respect, at which point Nery was told to not return. The Mexican southpaw lost his WBC bantamweight title at the scales but proceeded to knock Yamanaka out in the second round. It was a repeat win for Nery, who dethroned the previously unbeaten WBC bantamweight champion via fourth-round knockout in August 2017. He subsequently tested positive for the banned substance Zilpaterol but attributed it to food contamination and was permitted to keep his title.

At the time of the Yamanaka rematch, it was widely reported that Nery was issued a lifetime ban. However, it was since learned that something was lost in translation and that the JBC confirmed it is in fact indefinite. Given that, there exists room— but by no means a guarantee—for Nery to once again fight in Japan.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) stormed through the junior featherweight division in a 2023 Fighter of the Year campaign.

The highly rated pound-for-pound entrant from Yokohama moved up in weight and became a four-division champion after an eighth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Stephen Fulton last July 25 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Inoue—who turns 31 in April—claimed the WBC and WBO 122-pound titles that night.

The same venue hosted what became Inoue’s second undisputed championship in less than 54 weeks. That feat was accomplished when he knocked out Marlon Tapales in the tenth-round of their WBA/WBC/IBF/WBO championship clash last December 26. Negotiations were already under way to next face Nery, given the difficult circumstances to ensure that such a fight could take place in Japan within his planned schedule.

Mr. Hideyuki Ohashi—Inoue’s promoter and a former two-time strawweight champ during his heyday—mentioned in a press conference days after the Tapales win of fan demand far exceeding venues such as Ariake Arena.

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As Boxing Scene previously reported, an aggressive approach was taken to have Inoue fight at the Tokyo Dome and possibly even in Saudi Arabia during his 2024 campaign. The Tokyo Dome boasts an attendance record of 74,500, though it is traditionally scaled to house up to 55,000 fans.

The famed locale has only hosted two major boxing events, both headlined by then unbeaten, undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson—including his monstrous February 1990 knockout defeat to Buster Douglas in what remains the benchmark for historic boxing upsets.

Nery will enter the fight in hopes of becoming a three-time titlist spanning two weight divisions.

In addition to his WBC bantamweight title reign, he previously held the WBC junior featherweight belt which he lost to Brandon Figueroa via seventh-round knockout in May 2021. It remains the lone career defeat for the 29-year-old southpaw, who has since won four straight. Among that list was his Fight of the Year-level eleventh-round stoppage of Azat Hovhannisyan in their WBC title eliminator last February 18 in Pomona, California.

Nery’s most recent win came last July 8, when he scored a second-round knockout of Froilan Saludar in Metepec, Mexico.

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[Flump]

Needless to say, well up for this. Inoue is must watch every time.

[Monzon83]

Inoue is my favourite current boxer. If fighters at higher weights modelled themselves on him, the sport would be much better off.

[Rockytony67]

[Ruthless-RKO]

INOUE VS. NERY LANDS AT THE TOKYO DOME

Undisputed world 122-pound champion and future Hall of Famer Naoya Inoue will headline the biggest boxing event Japan has witnessed. “The Monster” will defend all the belts against Mexico's Luis “Pantera” Nery on Monday, May 6th at the iconic Tokyo Dome. Inoue, a four-weight champion and undisputed two-weight king, will headline this titanic event at this historic venue. Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) is a former two-weight world champion who won the WBC title at both bantamweight and super bantamweight.

The Tokyo Dome was inaugurated in March 1988. Teiken Promotions, under the direction of Akihiko, presented Mike Tyson vs. Tony Tubbs celebrated on March 21, 1988 which was the boxing inauguration of the Tokyo Dome. The other monumental boxing event at “The Big Egg” took place in February 1990, when James “Buster” Douglas knocked out Tyson in the tenth round to capture the world heavyweight championship.

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Promoter Bob Arum Defends Naoya Inoue Staying at Home

Bob Arum knows the numbers, has witnessed Japan’s adoration of its conquering boxing hero and sees no reason why Naoya Inoue needs to fight outside the country in the foreseeable future.

“It used to be that coming here to the U.S. was the best way to make the biggest money – it worked for Manny [Pacquiao] and [heavyweight champion Tyson] Fury,” Arum told BS Wednesday.

“This is a different actor – the biggest boxing star in a well-to-do-country.”

Two-time undisputed champion Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) will return to the ring May 6 (a Monday morning U.S. time) when he meets former champion Luis Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) in defense of Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight title.

The bout will take place at the 55,000-seat-capacity Tokyo Dome – where Mike Tyson was upset by Buster Douglas – and Arum said the live-gate sales have already exceeded $20 million with television rights fees still to be calculated.

Last week on ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters," analyst and former welterweight champion Shawn Porter said, “We really don’t know what Inoue’s goals are – are his goals to be the star of boxing? If his goal is to be the star in boxing, you got to come to the United States.”

Inoue responded, “The home of the [lower weights] is now here in Japan. If there is something better than what is available in the Japanese market in America, I would be happy to go.”

Inoue made two pandemic-era U.S. appearances at the Top Rank Bubble and Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, but Arum says in the current landscape “there’s no way he could approach what he makes in Japan. Why come here and take a step back when there’s such a tremendous market for you in Japan?”

Previous junior featherweight titlehollders Stephen Fulton of Philadelphia and Marlon Tapales trekked to Japan to fight Inoue before Nery.

“There’s nobody even close in those divisions [near Inoue’s weight class] who could make a fight bigger than what he can do in Japan,” Arum said. “This is completely different than Manny coming from the Philippines at a time where he couldn’t have fought anywhere and made more than $50,000. Fighting here did make him a global superstar.

“For Inoue, it’s the exact opposite – although fighting in Japan creates a challenging road trip for his foes. Their purses ease the discomfort.

“Their tongues are wagging out for an invitation,” Arum said.

“Shawn’s a good guy, but what he’s talking about [coming to America], that’s old-school.”

[Glass Joe]

Maybe Nick Ball can pick up a few belts and get Inoue a big pay day in Saudi.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!!

[SeanBrennan]

Fight Week!!

Looking forward to it. Who you got Ruthless?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!!

Looking forward to it. Who you got Ruthless?

Gotta be monster

[SeanBrennan]

Fight Week!!

Looking forward to it. Who you got Ruthless?

Gotta be monster

same for me, main question is what weight will finally defeat him, he is relentless!

[Glass Joe]

being blessed with Inoue on a bank holiday.

[JamesPhilips]

being blessed with Inoue on a bank holiday.

What time will the fight start? (U.K. time)

[Glass Joe]

being blessed with Inoue on a bank holiday.

What time will the fight start? (U.K. time)

from memory inoue fights around 12-1pm

[JamesPhilips]

being blessed with Inoue on a bank holiday.

What time will the fight start? (U.K. time)

from memory inoue fights around 12-1pm

Thanks. Nice

[Delta Jay]

What time will the fight start? (U.K. time)

from memory inoue fights around 12-1pm

Thanks. Nice

I very nearly asked for Monday off today. Im glad I never now

[SeanBrennan]

Love the timings for hosnfifhts, hope he doesn't fight in US for my selfish reasons

[JamesPhilips]

from memory inoue fights around 12-1pm

Thanks. Nice

I very nearly asked for Monday off today. Im glad I never now

lol hardcore fan

[Ruthless-RKO]

Love the timings for hosnfifhts, hope he doesn't fight in US for my selfish reasons

When it comes to Inoue and Japan, it's always prime time Japan.

He's took big in Japan, they don't need to cater for the US..

Plus we Brits get in midday

[SeanBrennan]

Love the timings for hosnfifhts, hope he doesn't fight in US for my selfish reasons

When it comes to Inoue and Japan, it's always prime time Japan.

He's took big in Japan, they don't need to cater for the US..

Plus we Brits get in midday

Winner. I'm Team Japan now.