On Tuesday, Top Rank announced that Naoya "The Monster" Inoue will defend his undisputed junior featherweight world title against former two-division world champion Luis "Pantera" Nery on May 6 at the Tokyo Dome.
For Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs), it will be his debut headlining at the iconic venue. The bout will also feature three other world title defenses: Jason "Mayhem" Moloney (27-2, 19 KOs) will defend his WBO bantamweight title against Yoshiki Takei (8-0, 8 KOs); Takuma Inoue (19-1, 5 KOs) – the WBA bantamweight titlist and Naoya’s brother – will defend his belt against Sho Ishida (34-3, 17 KOs); and WBA flyweight world titlist Seigo Yuri Akui will rematch with Taku Kuwahara.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum has big hopes for the event. He believes that it could be one of boxing’s biggest of the year.
“Naoya Inoue is the world’s best fighter, a young man who amazes me every time he steps in the ring,” Arum said. “Luis Nery is a tough challenger, but I fully expect Inoue to get the job done in front of more than 50,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome.”
The venue last hosted boxing in 1990, when James “Buster” Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson to claim the undisputed heavyweight crown.
Inoue, 30, who won his first world title in April 2014, is nearing a decade-long run in which he has worn a strap from at least one of boxing’s main sanctioning bodies. Neither his record nor that brilliant title streak tells the full story of his career.
Inoue, a four-division titlist who has held undisputed world titles at bantamweight and super bantamweight, has compiled a record of 21-0, 19 KOs in world title fights. He has been exceptionally dominant – and has looked unbeatable even upon moving up in weight.
Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) is coming off a performance against Azat Hovhannisyan that has helped put the pair in Fight of the Year discussions. Nery is riding a four-fight winning streak since being knocked out by Brandon Figueroa.
The card will stream on ESPN+.
