Bank Holiday Monday in the UK sees a pound-for-pound star in action, and Naoya Inoue defends his undisputed super bantamweight title at the Tokyo Dome in Japan against Luis Nery.
Top Rank promote Inoue vs Nery, and the bill can be seen on Sky Sports in the UK.
Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) simply cannot do any wrong as a professional, and has wowed with each passing performance. The Japanese buzzsaw has cut a swathe through the lower weight classes, and truly came of age in 2019, winning the World Boxing Super Series with a series of high-class displays.
‘The Monster’ would then clean out the bantamweight division, ending with a penultimate round knockout of Paul Butler in December 2022 to take the WBO title to add to his WBC, IBF and WBA (Super) straps, and he then set his sights on the super bantamweight division.
That assault began with an eighth round stoppage of Stephen Fulton to win the WBC and WBO titles, and ended in his last contest, winning the IBF and WBA (Super) belts in a controlled tenth round knockout of Marlon Tapales.
He now meets Nery (35-1, 27 KOs), a Mexican not too popular in Japan. A former WBC bantamweight champion, Nery knocked out Shinsuke Yamanaka in four rounds in 2017, but then missed weight for a rematch, and still knocked out Yamanaka in two in March 2018.
The commission in Japan banned Nery for life for the infraction, but have allowed him access to meet Inoue. Nery has won four straight fights since losing to Brandon Figueroa in seven rounds in May 2021, his last a second round stoppage of Froilan Saludar in Mexico last July.
Prediction: Inoue is a special fighter, and we have known that for some time. I expect him to put on a show in front of over 50,000 people and halt Nery in the second half of the fight, before moving onto even more bigger and better things.
.@NaoyaInoue_410‘s highlight reel is RIDICULOUS 😳 pic.twitter.com/wTQr6BlsBa
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 30, 2024
Four world title fights feature on stacked undercard:
Australia’s Jason Moloney makes a second defence of his WBO bantamweight title, and he takes on Yoshiki Takei.
Moloney (27-2, 19 KOs) won the vacant belt in May last year with a majority decision win against Vincent Astrolabio, and needed another majority nod in his first defence, overcoming Saul Sanchez in Canada.
Takei (8-0, 8 KOs) has only been into the eleventh round as a professional, and makes a significant leap in class, with his last win a second round knockout of Mario Diaz Maldonado last December.
Prediction: I think that Moloney may be that bit too seasoned for Takei, and I lean towards him taking a points win to retain his title.
Chasing greatness 🏆 https://t.co/Bz3UDFrJSD
— Jason Moloney (@JasonMoloney1) April 30, 2024
Naoya’s brother Takuma Inoue, fresh off a successful first defence of his WBA bantamweight title, meets Sho Ishida.
Inoue (19-1, 5 KOs) won the title with a points win against Liborio Solis in April last year, and defended in February, knocking out Jerwin Ancajas in nine rounds.
Ishida (34-3, 17 KOs) challenged for the WBA belt at super flyweight in 2017, losing on points to Kal Yafai, and has won five contests since his last defeat, a split decision reverse to Kosei Tanaka in 2021.
Prediction: Ishida is moving up in weight, and that should allow Inoue to defend with a clear points win.
A Japanese derby is also on the menu, and WBA flyweight champion Seigo Yuri Akui (19-2-1, 11 KOs), who impressed in taking the title against Artem Dalakian, can outscore Taku Kuwahara (13-1, 1 KO) to keep hold of his belt.
AND THE NEW. #TerajiCanizales | LIVE on @ESPNPlus | @PrimeVideo in Japan pic.twitter.com/zCtqNm3xs6
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 23, 2024
At super bantamweight, Bryl Bayogos (7-0-1, 2 KOs) can also win on points against former world champion TJ Doheny (25-4, 19 KOs) over eight rounds.
