Naoya Inoue Vs. Luis Nery Agreed For May
Naoya Inoue will defend his undisputed super bantamweight title against Luis Nery in May in Tokyo, Japan.
‘The Monster’ became undisputed in a second weight class after stopping Marlon Tapales. He joined Terence Crawford as the only male boxer to do this in the four-belt era. Before the fight, Inoue made it clear that his future was at 122 pounds, with no intention to move up for the time being.
Inoue’s Aim
“I wish to unify all the four world title belts within this year (against WBA and IBF titleholder Marlon Tapales). It may take three years to have myself physically adjust to the 122-pound weight class, and then I may move up to the featherweight division. After taking a rest for a week, I wish to return to gym work,” Inoue stated
Inoue Vs. Nery
Three opponents were mentioned as his next opponents: Nery, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and John Riel Casimero. Nery is his WBC mandatory, with a record of 35-1. He has an impressive 27 knockout wins, showing that the Japanese will have to be on his A-game. Nery stopped Froilan Saludar in his previous fight.
Nery was banned from fighting in Japan for life after failing to make weight for his rematch with Shinsuke Yamanaka. He also controversially failed a test for Zilpaterol for his fight with Yamanaka in 2017. It is alleged the Japanese Boxing Commission will now lift that ban.
Other Options
Inoue also has Akhmadaliev waiting in the wings to face him. He attended Inoue’s win over Tapales, and he only has one loss on his record. His last fight was a victory over Kevin Gonzalez. He has what it takes to win at world level since he is the former IBF & WBA super bantamweight champion. He is Inoue’s WBA mandatory, meaning a fight is likely. And Akhmadaliev has backed himself to come out victorious.
“Of course, as a fighter, as a champion, I feel like I’m the best fighter in this division. I feel like I have the tools needed to beat Inoue. [So]I feel like I have the most power in this division. [And] I feel like I’m the best fighter, the whole package that he hasn’t faced.
[So] I will give him the challenge that he hasn’t faced before. [And]I definitely feel that, and I feel I can beat him. But as far as politics and who he’s going to fight, that’s not up to me, but my goal is not Inoue. My goal is the world title, especially my world title, IBF & WBA,” Akhmadaliev said
The Monster aims to become a five-division champion. He currently holds world titles in four weight classes, with a move up to featherweight dependent on his success at 122 pounds. If Inoue beats Nery, it would cap off a remarkable start to the year, which has seen him get ‘Fighter of the Year.’ And with Terence Crawford considered the only other boxer rivalling him as the best pound-for-pound fighter, Inoue can go a step ahead with another win.
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