Japanese superstar knockout artist Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) successfully defended his four WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super-bantamweight belts in a rough-and-tumble slugfest with the explosive former world champion Luis Nery (35-2, 27 KOs).
Inoue hit the canvas HARD in the first round after getting nailed by a scorching left to the head by Nery. However, Inoue came back to blast the 29-year-old Nery out, stopping him in the seventh round.
The contest was halted by referee Michael Griffin officially at 1:22 of round six.
Naoya Inoue Knocked Down for the First Time in His Career
The fight got off to a surprise start, with Luis Nery catching Naoya Inoue with a picture-perfect left to the head, sending him tumbling to the canvas for the first time in his career. We’d seen Inoue hurt before in the past, but nothing like this. He was in trouble for a moment there.
The pro-Nery fans at ringside, the few of them, were ecstatic sat that moment, smelling upset and celebrating a little bit too early. Inoue got up and looked in bad shape, ready to be finished off by the powerful Mexican southpaw, who showed that he could give as good as he could take.
Inoue Returns the Favor in Round Two
Inoue collected himself well after getting up; his power was still there even if his legs and senses were not quite 100% after that asteroid strike that he’d taken from the hard-hitting Nery moments into the 1st round.
In round two, ‘Monster’ Inoue evened the score, poleaxing Nery with a heavy shots, putting himself back into the fight with that knockdown. Suddenly, Nery no longer looked so confident, perhaps knowing that he’d let his prey off the hook and blown his chance.
Inoue Continues the Assault in Round Five
Nery was starting to take a lot of hard shots by the fifth, getting pummeled with lead right hands straight down the pipe. One of them, a short left hook, put Nery down on the seat of his pants for the second time in the fight. Inoue hit Nery with two consecutive short left hooks to drop him.
Inoue tried to finish the job, but he was missing shots and the ones that did land, they lacked the same power that had put Nery down.
That knockdown showed that Inoue was too much for the battered and beaten Nery, who had nothing left by that point in the fight. It was like watching a replay of Nery’s previous defeat three years earlier. He’s dangerous early, but vulnerable after the first few rounds.
Inoue Seals the Victory, But Future at Featherweight is Uncertain
‘Monster’ Inoue finished the job in the sixth with a meteor shower of shots that put Nery down on the canvas. Nery had been trapped against the ropes and unable to get away during that final barrage of blows. The referee, Michael Griffin, then waved it off, giving Inoue the win.
