If undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue truly was the pound-for-pound best in boxing, Luis Nery made sure to make him prove it on Monday morning.
Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) was forced to get up off the canvas in Round 1 after being dropped for the first time in his 27-bout pro career. But “The Monster” rallied to score a trio of thrilling knockdowns en route to a sixth-round finish of Nery (35-2, 27 KOs), a former two-division champion, in their 122-pound title bout in Tokyo.
The fight, contested in front of more than 40,000 fans inside the Tokyo Dome, marked the venue’s first major boxing event since James “Buster” Douglas upset Mike Tyson in 1990.
The victory only added to Inoue’s growing (and increasingly legendary) lore. After winning his first world title in just his sixth pro fight, the 31-year-old Inoue has gone on to claim titles in four weight classes, including achieving four-belt undisputed status in two separate divisions.
Inoue was forced to showcase every bit of his P4P greatness due to the daring combination of Nery’s guts and punching power.
“This is the first Tokyo Dome boxing event in 34 years,” Inoue said, through a translator. “I am so happy to be here. Thank you to everyone!”
Inoue sounded relieved and almost grateful when recalling the first-round knockdown that nearly cost him his unbeaten record in Round 1, when Inoue made an uncharacteristic technical error by backing up with his hands down. A clubbing, counter left hook from Nery suddenly placed Inoue on the verge of peril.
“A big surprise happened in the first round. I am so thankful it happened,” Inoue said. “Actually, that happening gave me good motivation. I am so thankful to get a fight against Luis Nery today at Tokyo Dome.
“I don’t remember nothing of what my dad told me during intermission [after Round 1] but that happening gave me motivation and I was so focused until the end of the fight.”
When asked to detail how he was able to regain his poise so quickly by rallying to score a strategic knockdown of his own in Round 2, when Inoue caught Nery overextending and squared up with a perfectly short left hook to pull things even on the scorecards, Inoue reiterated just how much of it was done on instinct.
“I keep telling you that I don’t remember anything very well,” Inoue said.
Inoue outlanded the 29-year-old Nery by a margin of 21-4 in Round 1, according to CompuBox, and went on to nearly double Nery in total punches landed (107 to 54) en route to landing an incredible 49% of his power shots.
Although Nery remained dangerous until the end, Inoue began to systematically break him down to the body. In Round 5, with his back to the ropes, Inoue uncorked another impossibly short left hook to drop Nery for a second time.
Inoue went on to finish Nery in Round 6 after cornering him and connecting with a perfect counter right hand. Nery crumbled to the canvas as referee Michael Griffin waived off the bout at 1:22 of the round.
Nery had previously been banned from fighting on Japanese soil and needed to receive special clearance to compete in the event.
The issue dates back to Nery’s 2017 knockout of Shinsuke Yamanaka in their bantamweight title bout, during a fight in which Nery tested positive for banned substances. Nery badly missed weight ahead of their 2018 rematch, which also took place in Japan, and had his license suspended following the second-round finish.
After the victory on Monday, Inoue welcomed unbeaten mandatory challenger Sam Goodman (18-0, 8 KOs) into the ring and hyped up a future clash against the native of Australia.
