Naoya Inoue vs Luis Nery is being lined up for May 6, 2024, from the Tokyo Dome, Japan.
The bout would be Inoue’s first defense of his Undisputed Super Bantamweight Title after stopping Marlon Tapales in the tenth round. The victory made Inoue a two-weight undisputed champion in the four-belt era alongside Terence Crawford. Inoue announced his attention to stay in the weight class, with Nery as a possible opponent.
“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
Nery is the current WBC Interim Champion. The Mexican’s record stands at 35-1, with 27 knockouts. He does not have the best history of fighting in Japan. The boxer was banned from fighting after missing weight for his second fight with Shinsuke Yamanaka in 2018. Just a year prior, he failed a test for Zilpaterol in their first bout. The Japanese Boxing Commission will have to remove the ban to make the fight, but that is not expected to be an issue.
Naoya Inoue and Luis Nery have agreed to a deal for a May fight in Tokyo for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship, sources told ESPN. Nery is banned for life from fighting in Japan for missing weight and a doping violation, but it’s not expected to be an issue. pic.twitter.com/P7wgsBRhmC
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) January 9, 2024
Reaction
Inoue via KO to the body in the 9th
— Beast (@2beastmode1) January 24, 2024
Inoue should move up in weight after this fight
— 🦇 (@Shadowiscold) January 24, 2024
Inoue with the KO
— Boxing Bully (@BoxingBullyNews) January 24, 2024