Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Results and reaction after dramatic fight in Tokyo

Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super-bantamweight titles against Luis Nery with a dramatic knockout in Tokyo on Monday.

Inoue, Indy Sport’s pound-for-pound No 1 boxer, continued his dominant streak and added the Mexican to his emphatic win over Marlon Tapales in December, when he became undisputed in a second division – just the second man in history to achieve that feat.

The Japanese, 31, was forced to get off the canvas for the first time in his career, after being floored in round one. But he rallied superbly to drop Nery three times, eventually stopping him in the sixth round.

Re-live all the action, undercard results and reaction from Inoue vs Nery below.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE

• Naoya Inoue retains undisputed super-bantamweight titles in dramatic clash with Luis Nery

• Inoue dropped for first time in his career, as Nery floors champion in round one

• Japanese fights back to score knockdowns in rounds two, five and six in Tokyo

• Final knockdown finishes Mexican Nery, as Inoue stays unbeaten

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: The fight in photos

15:05 , Alex Pattle

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: The fight in photos

14:50 , Alex Pattle

Inoue is vulnerable after all – but more dangerous than ever after knockout of Nery

14:35 , Alex Pattle

So, Naoya Inoue is vulnerable after all. He can be hurt. The problem is, as Luis Nery found out firsthand on Monday, a wounded Inoue might be the most dangerous “Monster” of all.

It was a startling sight: Inoue spinning around on his way down to the canvas, arms flailing and senses scattered, in the very first round of this title defence. This event, the first boxing card at the 55,000-capacity Tokyo Dome in 34 years, was due to be a celebration of Inoue – the undisputed super-bantamweight champion, arguably the pound-for-pound No 1, and inarguably a hero in Japan.

But 34 years on from Buster Douglas’s historic upset of Mike Tyson at the Dome, it looked like another upset was on the cards when Nery floored Inoue with a spiteful left hook in round one. It looked like Nery was moments from a desecration of this celebration.

Unlike Douglas, Nery had the pedigree of a former two-weight world champion, meaning a finishing sequence was a very real prospect after that knockdown. Instead, Inoue – who had looked utterly bewildered while lying on the canvas – pulled off the most daring of escapes.

Read our full fight report:

Naoya Inoue is vulnerable after all – but more dangerous than ever

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Result

14:20 , Alex Pattle

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Result

14:12 , Alex Pattle

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Result

14:05 , Alex Pattle

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Result

13:55 , Alex Pattle

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Result

13:44 , Alex Pattle

Just on Inoue’s point about this being the Tokyo Dome’s first fight in 34 years: The last event in the stadium was Buster Douglas’s historic upset of Mike Tyson.

And an upset looked on in the first round of today’s main event!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:32 , Alex Pattle

Inoue: “This is the first Tokyo Dome boxing event in 34 years, I’m so happy to be here.

“A big surprise happened in the first round!” You can say that again.

“Actually, that happening gave me good motivation and attention.

“I don’t remember anything that my dad told me during the intermission [after the knockdown], but that gave me motivation and focus until the end of the fight.”

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:29 , Alex Pattle

Naoya Inoue def. Luis Nery via sixth-round KO (1:22).

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:27 , Alex Pattle

Round six

Clean right hand by Inoue! Nery looks a little punch drunk after that one...

OH! BRUTAL KNOCKDOWN BY INOUE! He sends Nery lolloping through the ropes with a short right cross!

The referee thinks about calling it off, Nery’s eyes are glazed over... and it’s DONE!!!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:25 , Alex Pattle

Round five

Great cross and left hook from Inoue. He’s parrying Nery’s jab now, and there’s a counter right hook by Inoue – to the head, as Nery hooks to the body. Great timing by the champion.

Inoue is really turning it up now. There’s a pause, though, as Inoue complains that Nery was leading with his head.

OH!! Down goes Nery again! It’s another left hook!

Nery is back up, but Inoue is tuning the Mexican up now. Nery’s hands are coming down and he’s taking clean punches.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:20 , Alex Pattle

Round four

Clean cross from Inoue, well timed.

This is fun stuff; Inoue is taunting Nery after landing shots, and calling on the Mexican to throw. Now he’s dancing!

That’s brave stuff from a man who was just knocked down a few rounds ago!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:16 , Alex Pattle

Round three

What a fight we have on our hands. Inoue has Nery stumbling, but the Mexican suggests it was a punch to the back of the head.

Snapping jab by Nery. Now a left uppercut to the body. Both men land hooks.

Better spell for Inoue now; he’s landing straight shots.

Oh! A one-two snaps back the head of Nery.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:12 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Straight shots land for both men. Inoue just about blocks a left hook.

There’s a tense spell where neither boxer wants to throw, until Nery goes and Inoue counters with a left hook.

Inoue steps in with a right hook to the body, then DROPS NERY as the challenger chases him! It’s a perfectly-timed counter left hook!

Nery is quickly back on his feet, but Inoue just about had time to celebrate that. He’s getting himself pumped up.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:09 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Inoue stands orthodox, Nery southpaw. Inoue with a BIG overhand right almost immediately, but it’s off-target.

Jab on point for Nery, and another. Now a left hook to the body. Nery leaps in for another hook but misses wildly.

Now Inoue misses with a counter hook, as Nery dives forward.

OH!!! MASSIVE LEFT HOOK FROM NERY! AND INOUE IS DOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER! WHAT?! That shot spun him round!

Inoue is back up but looks bewildered! Nery corners him and misses with hooks. Good head movement from Inoue, who lands a counter left.

He blocks a barrage of hooks from Nery now and lands a slick uppercut! He still looks a little uncertain, though...

Not anymore; he’s smiling at Nery! A bit of a glance between them after the bell...

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

13:03 , Alex Pattle

The national anthems are out the way, now here are the fighter introductions, courtesy of Jimmy Lennon Jr.

Plenty of boos for Nery!

HERE WE GO! First bell!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

12:52 , Alex Pattle

Inoue enters this bout with a professional record of 26-0 (23 KOs), while Nery is 35-1 (27 KOs).

Nery makes his way to the ring first, in front of 55,000 fans in a sold-out Tokyo Dome.

Now here comes Inoue, played out by a live guitarist and with pyro all around him.

Inoue looks SERIOUS. This should be fun.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event

12:41 , Alex Pattle

Next up, the main event!

Naoya Inoue defends the undisputed super-bantamweight titles against Luis Nery.

Inoue, Indy Sport’s pound-for-pound No 1 boxer, stopped Marlon Tapales in December to become undisputed in a second division – just the second man in history to achieve that feat. The Japanese, 31, was previously undisputed at bantamweight and also reigned at light-flyweight and super-flyweight.

Inoue’s win over Tapales also took the unbeaten “Monster” to seven straight knockouts, while Nery enters Tokyo on a three-fight KO streak and with just one professional loss to his name.

The Mexican, 29, is a former bantamweight and super-bantamweight champion, but he faces a stern test against Inoue here.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:33 , Alex Pattle

Yoshiki Takei def. Jason Moloney via unanimous decision (117-110, 116-111, 116-111).

The right decision, and the Japanese crowd greets it with a roar!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:30 , Alex Pattle

Round 12

Final round! The crowd pays respect to the fighters with a nice round of applause.

Short, teasing shots from Takei. Moloney comes back with a hook. He presses forward, but Takei is keeping the champion at bay with activity.

A cross gets through for Moloney, jolting back the head of Takei, but the Japanese fires back!

A hard right hook by Moloney! He’s desperately trying to save his title reign!

Both men land a few hooks, with Moloney catching Takei while the challenger’s hands are completely down!

What an ending to this bout. A real firefight at the end.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:26 , Alex Pattle

Round 11

Two rounds to go. Moloney presses forward, but he walks on to an uppercut.

Moloney tries a straight right and a power jab, but both are just wide of the mark.

Left hook to the body by Takei. One-two.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:22 , Alex Pattle

Round 10

Nice jab by Takei, who mixes in some uppercuts now. Again, though, the power isn’t quite there anymore.

Takei with some hooks, and even though he’s not as dangerous as he was earlier in the fight, Moloney isn’t capitalising.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:18 , Alex Pattle

Round nine

Takei regains some momentum of his own, but he stumbles back after a clean cross from Moloney.

Takei lands a long right cross, but there’s no power on it. He is looking more tired and ungainly now.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:14 , Alex Pattle

Round eight

This is better from Moloney again now. He catches Takei on the end of a cross.

Takei has lost his mouthguard and motions to the referee, but Moloney lands a combination before it can be put back in! Ouch.

Takei now slips in the corner. He’s back on his feet, and Moloney maintains his momentum. Good jab from the champion.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:09 , Alex Pattle

Round seven

Harsh rear uppercut and lead hook by Takei! Brilliant stuff.

Now a sharp jab, and Moloney ties up to stem the tide of offence.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:05 , Alex Pattle

Round six

A lead left hook lands clean on Moloney’s chin. This fight is starting to get away from him. He lands a solid jab at last.

Hard left hook by Takei, to the body this time. The boxers briefly tie up. They separate.

A decent short cross by Moloney, who catches Takei as he’s dipping. More success for Moloney now, including a mean right hook to the body!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

12:01 , Alex Pattle

Round five

Teasing uppercut and a solid cross by Takei. Moloney throws a couple of combinations, but he can’t find the mark.

A hard counter left hook is on point for Takei!

Moloney skips forward but still can’t put together any offence of note.

Takei with a step-in uppercut, just before the bell.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

11:58 , Alex Pattle

Round four

Takei goes down under pressure from Moloney – much-needed pressure – but it’s just a slip.

Speaking of that, Moloney motions to the mat himself, and one corner of the canvas is wiped dry.

He’s backed into another corner now, as Takei turns up the pressure. A counter left hook puts Moloney off balance, after he misses with a one-two.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

11:53 , Alex Pattle

So, Takei with the better offence so far, but also some low blows that have cost him a point. Good defence by both boxers, for the most part, but Moloney needs to put some more punches together. That’s the pattern at the moment.

Round three

Nice, long jab by Takei! He buries a left hook into the body of Moloney and pours on a flurry of headshots!

Moloney complains of punches to the back of the head, but he was bending down in seeming uncertainty over how to defend himself!

Takei is starting to find his timing and rhythm. Moloney is struggling to do so.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

11:49 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Good defence from Moloney so far. He skips into range and does well to block Takei’s attempted counters.

More clean offence is needed by Moloney, though. That said, Takei hasn’t landed toooo much yet, bar the afore-mentioned low blows – for which he was warned.

Oh! And a long left hook to the body sees Takei lose a point! Wow.

Moloney curls out a left hook but misses. He blocks a one-two by Takei. Step-in cross to the chest by Takei.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

11:45 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Takei stands southpaw, Moloney is orthodox. This is just the second time that Moloney has fought a southpaw in a 10-year pro career.

Some sharp parries of that right-hand jab, though, in a promising start for Moloney.

Nothing significant landed by either man so far, other than two crosses from Takei – both of which were aimed at the body, and both of which have seen him warned for firing too low. And a third time!

He accepts each warning with a nod.

A cross to the chest of Moloney now. Decent step-in jab by the champion in response. Takei just overshoots with a right hook to the head.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei

11:39 , Alex Pattle

Time for the co-main event!

Australia’s Jason Moloney defends the WBO bantamweight title against Japan’s own Yoshiki Takei!

Moloney is 27-2 (19 KOs), while Takei is 8-0 with eight KOs!

Moloney is a former victim of the “Monster”, Naoya Inoue, by the way.

Moloney is hopping about. Takei looks calm, almost meditative.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

11:26 , Alex Pattle

Takuma Inoue def. Sho Ishida via unanimous decision (118-109, 118-109, 116-111).

And still! The right result.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

11:18 , Alex Pattle

Round 12

A fun final round! A mini war of attrition that ends with Inoue throwing Ishida to the mat.

Inoue has surely done enough to retain his title here.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

11:14 , Alex Pattle

Round 11

Penultimate round. Ishida tries to open up the guard of Inoue with teasing hooks and uppercuts, to no avail.

Inoue then throws uppercuts and hooks of his own, but with far more venom.

More holding now.

Back at range, and Inoue times a right cross perfectly. He blocks a one-two. Decent counter uppercut.

Ishida with an uppercut of his own, though Inoue appears unfazed.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

11:10 , Alex Pattle

Round 10

Aggressive start to this round by Inoue, who lands a few harsh hooks and uppercuts. Ishida with a heavy hook of his own.

More solid uppercuts from Inoue! He’s forcing them through the guard of Ishida.

A lot of holding ensues, with both men seemingly looking for a breather.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

11:06 , Alex Pattle

Round nine

Lots more jabs from both bantamweights. Two short lead uppercuts from Inoue at point-blank range.

Ishida chases the champion into the corner. Good head movement from Inoue, into a fine left hook.

Inoue seems to have found his groove. He fires off a cross and follows up with a sneaky right uppercut.

A left uppercut catches out Ishida now. A scrappy exchange ensues, and Inoue hits the deck, but it’s rightly ruled a push by Ishida.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

11:02 , Alex Pattle

Round eight

Ishida is still fighting on the front foot as much as he can, but he looks a little worn down and ungainly now.

Counter cross by Inoue. Jab. Now Ishida gets off a few jabs.

It’s turning into a scrap at close range!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

10:58 , Alex Pattle

Round seven

Into the second half of this fight. Ishida again tries to pressure Inoue, who fights his way off the ropes nicely.

Long jab by the champion, then a left hook. A couple more jabs from Inoue, who changes the angle each time – that’s wonderful work.

Stern jab to the mid-section by Inoue now.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

10:54 , Alex Pattle

Round six

Ishida jabs to the body. Inoue comes back with an overhand right.

Ishida is bleeding somewhat from the nose now, but his left eye looks clean for the moment.

Now Ishida digs to the body with a left hook, then leans all over Inoue, driving the champion back to the ropes.

Inoue is able to create some range and land a couple of long straights. He circles into the open.

A one-two from Inoue, but Ishida is jusssssst out of range.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

10:50 , Alex Pattle

Round five

As in some of the earlier rounds, Inoue is beating Ishida to the punch with jabs.

He turns one into an uppercut, nice work.

Slick counter cross by Ishida to end the round, though!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

10:46 , Alex Pattle

Round four

Right hook to the body by Inoue, then one to the head! Nice little combination.

Ishida with a well-timed right hook of his own, to the head. The bantamweights briefly grapple, digging in with body hooks at close range.

They separate, and Inoue tags Ishida with a left upstairs. More close-range fighting now. Good uppercuts from Inoue.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

10:42 , Alex Pattle

Round three

More good jabs from Inoue. Ishida throws a couple of his own, but the champion is out of range.

Inoue fires back with an uppercut. Short left hook by Ishida, but he’s bleeding from around his left eye.

OH! And he leans into a left hook by Inoue, and that has him staggering slightly!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

10:38 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Inoue looks to earn Ishida’s respect now, landing a nice combination with hard hooks and an uppercut through the taller man’s guard.

Ishida gets back on the front foot, tying up the champion and burrowing a right hook into his body.

The pair separate, and Ishida walks onto another uppercut. Now a sharp jab catches out the challenger.

Another snapping jab by Inoue! A much better round for him.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

10:34 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Ishida, much the taller fighter, jabs to the body. Inoue sees a cross blocked upstairs.

OH! Inoue is down in the first round! A perfect counter jab does it!

He beats the referee’s count, and to be fair, he doesn’t look hurt; it seemed more like a flash knockdown.

He’s cogent as he navigates the final minute of the round.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida

10:27 , Alex Pattle

Next up: Takuma Inoue defends the WBA bantamweight title against Sho Ishida!

Takuma (19-1, 5 KOs), of course related to Naoya Inoue, tends to fight on his brother’s cards.

Ishida is 34-3 (17 KOs) coming into this one.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

10:12 , Alex Pattle

Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara via unanimous decision (117-111, 117-111, 118-110).

And still! Akui retains the WBA flyweight title. A fair set of scorecards.

A tough experience for Kuwahara, who suffers his second pro loss – and second against Akui – after he started well today.

Still, the challenger is gracious in defeat, bowing to the crowd from all four sides of the ring.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

10:09 , Alex Pattle

Round 12

The crowd applauds the boxers as they begin the final round. Kuwahara is breathing heavily, his jaw hanging down.

Even some weaker shots from Akui have Kuwahara stumbling back to the ropes now. He spoke before this rematch about needing to be “brave”, and he has been, but he is clearly exhausted.

Nice uppercut from the challenger, though!

He makes it to the bell. In the pair’s first fight, three years ago, Akui scored a stoppage in the 10th and final round, so Kuwahara has definitely done himself justice here.

He and Akui embrace.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

10:06 , Alex Pattle

Round 11

Into the championship rounds.

Kuwahara tries to get Akui off him with a few straights upstairs, but to no avail. Some hooks do work for Kuwahara, though.

Kuwahara keeps unloading, in what is becoming his best spell for some time...

Akui finishes the round strong, however, jolting back the head of a retreating Kuwahara with a power jab and a cross.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

10:01 , Alex Pattle

Round 10

The pattern of the second half of this fight continues: Akui is relentlessly stalking Kuwahara, varying his offence with body and head shots.

Akui with a one-two to the chest, bringing down Kuwahara’s hands slightly, then a cross to the jaw. Nice work.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:57 , Alex Pattle

Round nine

Another clean right hook by Akui. That landed to the head but still brought down Kuwahara’s hands.

A hard jab slips through Kuwahara’s guard now. When the challenger does land, his offence isn’t fazing Akui in the same way that the champion’s is fazing Kuwahara.

Two fast left hooks to the body of Kuwahara.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:53 , Alex Pattle

Round eight

Akui stalks Kuwahara and lands a firm right hook to the head. Kuwahara continues to circle away.

You have to wonder if Kuwahara’s continual movement, for all of its upside, has tired him out.

He lands a cracking cross now, but this has largely been a troubling period of the fight for the challenger.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:49 , Alex Pattle

Round seven

Two hard straights snap back the head of Kuwahara, who is caught out while attacking the body of Akui.

This is a tricky spell for Kuwahara, who – as mentioned earlier – was stopped by Akui in their first fight, three years ago (but in the final round).

Kuwahara is cornered and struggling to find a moment to counter. It’s target practice for Akui right now.

Kuwahara finally gets off the ropes and lets his hands go, with mixed success.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:45 , Alex Pattle

Round six

Akui with a slew of straight shots, but Kuwahara proves elusive, even with his back to the ropes.

Akui starts to connect, but these punches are still largely being blocked. He jabs to the body, and again.

Akui presses forward, but Kuwahara makes life hard with some teasing straights. He leans into a hook, though, and that’s a clean land for Akui!

Now Kuwahara looks to arrest momentum, opening up late in the round – as he has done in a few frames today.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:41 , Alex Pattle

Round five

Akui puts Kuwahara under further pressure, and the challenger looks to deter him with a hard counter cross.

Kuwahara is continuing to stay mobile, strafing from side to side. A rare clinch ensues, as Akui traps Kuwahara against the ropes.

The flyweights separate, and Kuwahara works the body of Akui. Now he comes up top with a few hooks and a snapping jab.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:37 , Alex Pattle

Round four

Akui chases Kuwahara with a series of jabs but can’t find the mark. Eventually one gets through, however, followed by a cross.

Not too much offence from Kuwahara in this round, but he’s making sure to stay light on his feet.

Now the challenger opens up with a trio of straight punches, at least one of which pierces Akui’s guard.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:33 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Akui calmly parries some teasing jabs from Kuwahara, who then slyly curves one into a hook. Great work.

More clever stuff from Kuwahara, who is blending his head movement with his counter shots – very fluid boxing, very hard to read.

Akui finds the mark now, however, with a right hand to the midriff and a left hook to the head. Stern shots.

Akui with a pair of body hooks then a hook upstairs. That’s fine work as well.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:29 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Nice counter right from Kuwahara, as Akui continues to press forward. Lots of jabs in succession from Kuwahara, too, with pace.

Both fighters land left hooks, before Akui adds a right – this one to the body.

Akui with another left hook, upstairs this time, late in the round. He catches Kuwahara as the challenger is circling away.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:25 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Both men stand orthodox. Akui, looking to assert some dominance – and perhaps looking to remind Kuwahara what happened last time they fought – is on the front foot early.

Some good, and crucial, head movement by Kuwahara to evade the hooks of Akui, who has him backed up to the ropes.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Seigo Yuri Akui vs Taku Kuwahara

09:14 , Alex Pattle

We kick off the main card with a rematch between Seigo Yuri Akui and Taku Kuwahara!

Akui defends the WBA flyweight title for the first time, against Kuwahara, whom he stopped in the 10th and final round of their 2021 meeting.

That result remains the sole loss of Kuwahara’s pro career, and he has since gone 5-0 with four knockouts, taking his pro record to 13-1 (8 KOs).

Meanwhile, Akui is 19-2-1 (11 KOs).

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main card

09:00 , Alex Pattle

The main card is under way! Our live, round-by-round fight updates will begin imminently!

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: ‘Monster’ makes history with win over Tapales

08:52 , Alex Pattle

Here is our report from Inoue’s last fight – his stoppage of Marlon Tapales on Boxing Day, fittingly – when he made history as the second man ever to win undisputed gold in two divisions:

Naoya Inoue makes history with stoppage win over game Marlon Tapales

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Indy Sport’s pound-for-pound No 1

08:38 , Alex Pattle

One of the lesser-known names on our top-10 list, to the more casual fan, Inoue does not lack in prowess what he may lack in profile.

The Japanese has the second-best stoppage percentage in our rankings, part of what makes him such an exciting athlete to watch – along with his effortless evasiveness, brutal body attacks, and frightening level of output.

The 31-year-old stopped Paul Butler in December 2022 to become undisputed bantamweight champion – and the first Asian boxer to hold four world titles in a weight class at once – having previously held gold at light-flyweight and super-flyweight. However, he vacated his bantamweight belts in January 2023 to move up and challenge Stephen Fulton.

In July, Inoue took Fulton apart to hand the American his first pro loss and take his WBC and WBO super-bantamweight titles. That win saw the “Monster” become a four-weight world champion, further vindicating his No 1 spot, before a spectacular performance to become undisputed in two divisions by stopping Marlon Tapales.

A special fighter, who is one of the all-time greats and only adding to his legacy with every fight.

The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Main event and undercard

08:20 , Alex Pattle

Plenty of title fights today!

(Subject to late changes:)

Naoya Inoue (C) vs Luis Nery (undisputed super-bantamweight titles)

Seigo Yuri Akui (C) vs Taku Kuwahara (WBA flyweight title)

Takuma Inoue (C) vs Sho Ishida (WBA bantamweight title)

Jason Moloney (C) vs Yoshiki Takei (WBO bantamweight title)

TJ Doheny vs Bryl Bayogos (super-bantamweight)

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Odds

08:02 , Alex Pattle

Inoue – 1/16

Nery – 15/2

Draw – 22/1

Via Betway. Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers.

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: How to watch

07:29 , Jack Rathborn

In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.

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What time does Inoue vs Nery start and how to watch on Monday

Inoue vs Nery LIVE: Start time

07:15 , Alex Pattle

Inoue vs Nery will take place at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

The main card is scheduled to begin at 9am BST (1am PT / 3am CT / 4am ET), with ring walks for the main event due at around 11am BST (3am PT / 5am CT / 6am ET).

What time does Inoue vs Nery start and how to watch on Monday

Inoue vs Nery LIVE

Thursday 2 May 2024 12:27 , Alex Pattle

Naoya Inoue will defend the undisputed super-bantamweight titles against Luis Nery today, as the pair clash in Tokyo.

Inoue, Indy Sport’s pound-for-pound No 1 boxer, stopped Marlon Tapales in December to become undisputed in a second division – just the second man in history to achieve that feat. The Japanese, 31, was previously undisputed at bantamweight and also reigned at light-flyweight and super-flyweight.

Inoue’s win over Tapales also took the unbeaten “Monster” to seven straight knockouts, while Nery enters Tokyo on a three-fight KO streak and with just one professional loss to his name.

The Mexican, 29, is a former bantamweight and super-bantamweight champion, but he faces a stern test against Inoue here.