Kids are often told there's no such thing as monsters, but Luis Nery knows different after succumbing to a brutal sixth-round TKO at the hands of Naoya "The Monster" Inoue at the Tokyo Dome on Monday. The official time was 1:22.
However, this victory was not without drama. In round one, Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) was decked for the first time in his career by a spectacular left hand that sent shockwaves through the champion and the 40,000-plus fans in attendance.
WATCH: Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery, exclusively on ESPN+
The champ rose immediately but he was hurt and forced to retreat for the remainder of the round. Displaying the heart of a champion, Inoue made the necessary adjustments and began dishing out the damage. He floored Nery in the second and fifth rounds and closed the show with a right-uppercut, right-hand combination that knocked the challenger out cold.
"The knockdown gave me motivation," said Inoue through a translator during his post-fight interview. "I am so thankful to get a fight against Luis Nery at the Tokyo Dome.
"I know there was some difficult feeling among Japanese boxing fans because of his fights in the past, but I personally appreciate Nery. That's why I shook hands with him after the fight."
🎥 FULL HIGHLIGHTS 🎥
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 6, 2024
Re-watch the Demolition at the Dome 💥 pic.twitter.com/ckGGD9rZSX
As anticipated by fans and experts, this was a fight-of-the-year contender. Both men came out blazing early and it was Inoue that made the first mistake. While letting the punches fly up close, the champ dropped his right hand and was caught by Nery's signature left to the jaw. He went down hard — very hard — but what we found out is that "The Monster" can take a punch. He found his feet and backed off in a hurry as Nery sought the sensational finish.
The one-minute rest period was enough for Inoue to recover. He came out with his gloves high and boxed smart, blasting home the right to the body and jabbing at his opponent's head. Backing up near the ropes, the champ then threaded home a perfect left-hook counter that dropped the Mexican fighter to the canvas. Now, they were even.
Inoue took command by imposing his boxing skills on Nery. Another superb left hook decked Nery again in the fifth and the writing was on the wall. The finish was delivered with the efficiency of an executioner. When the two-piece combination connected, the referee immediately waved off the count as Nery lay poleaxed.
DOWN GOES INOUE.
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 6, 2024
DOWN GOES INOUE.
DOWN GOES INOUE.
DOWN GOES INOUE. pic.twitter.com/af6jkMG417
In his previous two fights, Inoue annihilated unified champions Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales to become undisputed. By following that up with this performance, the Japanese star strengthens his case for being the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Afterwards, Inoue was confronted by IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman, who wasted no time in calling out the Japanese hero. "I've been meaning to see you for over a year," said Goodman. "Either give up the belts or fight me."
When that information was translated for Inoue, the champion nodded sternly and shook the Australian's hand. "The Monster" then told his fans that he'd be back in action in September.
Nery, 29, falls to 35-2 (27 KOs).
Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery fight card
- Naoya Inoue (c) def. Luis Nery via KO 6 (1:22) for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO and Ring super bantamweight world titles
- Yoshiki Takei def. Jason Moloney (c) via UD 12 (117-110, 116-111, 116-111) for the WBO bantamweight world title
- Takuma Inoue (c) def. Sho Ishida via UD 12 (118-109, 118-109, 116-111) for the WBA bantamweight world title
- Seigo Yuri Akui (c) def. Taku Kuwahara via UD 12 (118-110, 117-111, 117-111) for the WBA flyweight world title
- TJ Doheny def. Bryl Bayogos via TKO 8; Super bantamweight