Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super-bantamweight titles against Luis Nery with a dramatic knockout in Tokyo on Monday.
Inoue, Indy Sport’s pound-for-pound No 1 boxer, continued his dominant streak and added the Mexican to his emphatic win over Marlon Tapales in December, when he became undisputed in a second division – just the second man in history to achieve that feat.
The Japanese, 31, was forced to get off the canvas for the first time in his career, after being floored in round one. But he rallied superbly to drop Nery three times, eventually stopping him in the sixth round.
Re-live all the action, undercard results and reaction from Inoue vs Nery below.
Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Still pound-for-pound No 1?
Does Inoue stay No 1 on our pound-for-pound list after that dramatic fight?
Alex Pattle6 May 2024 15:40
Inoue is vulnerable after all – but more dangerous than ever after knockout of Nery
It was a startling sight: Inoue spinning around on his way down to the canvas, arms flailing and senses scattered, in the very first round of this title defence. This event, the first boxing card at the 55,000-capacity Tokyo Dome in 34 years, was due to be a celebration of Inoue – the undisputed super-bantamweight champion, arguably the pound-for-pound No 1, and inarguably a hero in Japan.
But 34 years on from Buster Douglas’s historic upset of Mike Tyson at the Dome, it looked like another upset was on the cards when Nery floored Inoue with a spiteful left hook in round one. It looked like Nery was moments from a desecration of this celebration.
Unlike Douglas, Nery had the pedigree of a former two-weight world champion, meaning a finishing sequence was a very real prospect after that knockdown. Instead, Inoue – who had looked utterly bewildered while lying on the canvas – pulled off the most daring of escapes.
Read our full fight report:
Alex Pattle6 May 2024 14:35
Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Result
Just on Inoue’s point about this being the Tokyo Dome’s first fight in 34 years: The last event in the stadium was Buster Douglas’s historic upset of Mike Tyson.
And an upset looked on in the first round of today’s main event!
Alex Pattle6 May 2024 13:44