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Naoya “The Monster” Inoue was forced off the court to retain his undisputed super bantamweight title with a sixth-round knockout of challenger Louis Nery at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
Both fighters were on the floor, but in the end Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) proved too good for 29-year-old former world champion Nery (35-2, 27 KOs).
Shocking start
What should have been a dunk for 31-year-old “Monster” Inoue almost turned into a first-round disaster when southpaw Nery caught him with a short left hand and knocked him down.
Inoue lay there for a long time, light blood flowing from his nose, and tried to come to his senses. The knockdown was the first in Inoue's 11-year pro career, but it wasn't surprising because he was careless at close range, dropping his hands on the big puncher and throwing a wide left hand that sent him to the ground.
Nery attempted to finish off the still injured Inoue with a straight left to the head, but neither landed clean, allowing the champion to narrowly escape the round.
Inoue's merciless response
In the second round, “Monster” Inoue wanted revenge. He caught Neri with a perfect right hand and sent him to the ground. Inoue didn't show much power, but rather, his timing was perfect, catching Neri careless as he entered.
From that point on, Inoue got his way with Nery, landing him a lot of punches in the next round, but occasionally landing a few hard shots in return.
By the fifth, Nery was ready for action as Inoue hit him at will. Inoue dropped Nery for the second time in the fifth, landing him with several hard shots.
Spectacular finish
In the sixth round, Inoue pinned Nery against the ropes and hit him with two big right hands, sending him to the canvas. At 1:22 of the round, referee Michael Griffin stopped the fight.
The victory showed that Inoue was the best in the super bantamweight division, but we knew that in advance. This fight was more about revenge, as six years earlier in 2018, Nery knocked out Japanese legend Shinsuke Yamanaka twice.
Tonight, Inoue was able to avenge his defeat, albeit after Brandon Figueroa had already knocked out Nery in 2021.
Now the question is, will Inoue dare to move up to featherweight to mingle with the other sharks in the division, or will he continue to tread carefully in the small pond, feeding on guppies and not risking his own skin?
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