Undefeated Naoya Inoue overcomes early knockdown to retain titles

Japan’s Naoya Inoue (27-0) overcame a first-round knockdown to stop Luis Nery (35-2) in the sixth round in a thrilling fight at the Tokyo Dome on May 6.

Key points:

• Inoue suffered his first-ever knockdown but bounced back with knockdowns of his own in rounds 2, 5 and the decisive 6th.
• The victory extends Inoue’s undefeated record and KO streak to 24 wins.
• With the win, Inoue retains his WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF super bantamweight titles, while Nery falls to his second career defeat.

About Inoue:

• Nicknamed “The Monster,” the 31-year-old boxer is known for his exceptional punching power.
• He has won world titles in four weight classes (light flyweight, junior bantamweight, bantamweight and super bantamweight).
• Earlier this year, he became the first Japanese boxer to receive both the Sugar Ray Robinson Award and The Ring magazine’s “Fighter of the Year” title.

The details:

• The match was Inoue’s first fight since becoming the undisputed champion in Dec. 2023.
• Nery stunned the sold-out Tokyo Dome crowd with a left hook in the first round, sending Inoue to the canvas for the first time in his career.
• Inoue responded in kind, knocking Nery down in the second round and again in the fifth with a left hook.
• A right hook in the sixth round finished the fight, securing a dramatic victory for Inoue.
• Inoue addressed his unexpected early knockdown in the post-fight interview.

“The moment I knocked him out was great, but how did you like the first-round surprise? After that, I stayed calm and managed to get back into the fight. My daily training to prepare for any scenario paid off. I believe tonight’s fight met the expectations of fans. I’ll try to do that in the coming bouts.”

• The fight marked the first boxing event at the Tokyo Dome since James “Buster” Douglas’ upset win over Mike Tyson in 1990.

Tangent:

• Inoue’s younger brother, Takuma, also successfully defended his WBA bantamweight title on the undercard.

What’s next:

• While there are no details of any upcoming fights, Inoue is expected to seek another unification fight to solidify his legacy.