By Jim Dower: former WBC bantamweight champion Luis Nery (26-0, 20 KOs) has been suspended indefinitely by the Japan Boxing Commission for him coming in three pounds over the 118 lb. limit for his rematch with Shinsuke Yamanaka (27-2-2, 19 KOs) on March 1 in a fight for the vacant WBC bantamweight title in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo credit: Naoki Fakuda)
The World Boxing Council has also indefinitely suspended Nery for coming in overweight.
The 23-year-old Nery, who is a native of Mexico, weighed in initially at 123 pounds for the Yamanaka rematch, but he was able to lose two lbs. to get to 121 for the fight. The rematch still went ahead despite Nery coming in three lbs. overweight. He was able to knockout Yamanaka quickly in stopping him in the 2nd round.
The WBC bantamweight title is remained vacant due to Nery coming in overweight. Nery knocked Yamanaka down four times in the fight before the bout was stopped. The referee failed to score another knockdown that occurred in round 1. Nery looked at the referee with surprise after he dropped Yamanaka with a right jab to the head. It was clear knockdown, but the referee ruled it a slip. Nery immediately hit Yamanaka with three straight chopping left hands to the head that put him down for the second time in the round. This time the referee ruled it a knockdown. The knockdown came with 20 seconds left in the round. With the standing eight count eating up a lot of time, Nery wasn’t able to finish off the hurt Yamanaka. If the knockdown had occurred earlier in the round, Nery would have likely finished off Yamanaka in the 1st.
The Japan Boxing Commission said to ESPN that Nery coming in overweight was “a notorious incident that seriously damaged the social reputation of the sport of boxing.”
Nery had reportedly collapsed while trying to make weight for the Yamanaka rematch. He tried to make the weight, but he was ultimately unable to do so.
Last year, Nery knocked out the 35-year-old Yamanaka in August of last year in Tokyo, Japan. Nery had too much speed and power for Yamanaka.
It’s unclear what direct Nery takes his career in now. With his difficulty making weight for the bantamweight division, it would seem like the best course would be for him to move up four pounds to fight in the super bantamweight division at 122 lbs. That’s a weight that Nery would have a better chance at making without draining himself. Nery might not be as dominating at 122 as he was fighting in the 118 lb. division. That’s one reason why it would be in Nery’s best interest to try and stay at bantamweight if possible. There are some good fights for Nery if he can make the weight. Unfortunately right now he might have a difficult time getting a title shot as a voluntary challenger due to his weight problems. Nery tested positive last year for the banned substance zipaterol on July 27. The WBC later ruled that Nery’s positive test came from eating contaminated food.