- Naoya Inoue defends all his super bantamweight titles against Luis Nery on Monday.
- Inoue is the heavy betting favorite with -1250 odds.
- Nery is the overwhelming betting underdog at +650
For the first time since unifying all the world titles in the super bantamweight division, Naoya Inoue will welcome the challenge of Luis Nery on Monday inside the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Inoue is also a four-division world champion and the former undisputed bantamweight king.
NON-STOP TITLE FIGHTS 🏆🏆🏆🏆#InoueNery will feature four championship bouts from the Tokyo Dome. pic.twitter.com/tyY2QObzi5
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) March 6, 2024
Because of his undefeated pro record with over 80% of finish rate, Inoue heads into the world title showdown as the heavy betting favorite in the boxing odds with -1250 odds. Meanwhile, Nery will be the overwhelming underdog at +650.
Naoya Inoue Recent Fight Results
Since his professional debut in 2012, Inoue has been demolishing his opponents in every weight class. Before moving up to the super bantamweight, the Japanese boxing superstar collected multiple belts in the light flyweight, super flyweight, and bantamweight divisions.
In July, Inoue challenged Stephen Fulton for the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles and stopped him with an eighth-round finish. Then, five months later, he fought Marlon Tapales to unify all the belts in the 121-pound division. “The Monster” successfully captured all four belts by knocking out Tapales in the 10th round of their match.
Luis Nery Recet Fight Results
Nery was also a former two-division boxing world champion after winning the WBC bantamweight title in August 2017 against Shinsuke Yamanaka and the WBC Super Bantamweight title in September 2020 against Aaron Alameda.
The Mexican top contender received his first career defeat in May 2021 at the hands of Brandon Figueroa after attempting the WBC and WBA Super Bantamweight titles. But since that setback, Nery has racked up four straight victories and defeated Carlos Castro, David Carmona, Azat Hovhannisyan, and Froilan Saludar.
Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery: Tale of the Tape
| Naoya Inoue | Luis Nery | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 31 | 29 |
| Height | 5’4” | 5’5” |
| Reach | 67 inches | 65 inches |
| Record | 26-0 | 35-1 |
| Stance | Southpaw | Southpaw |
| TKO/KO Percentage | 88% | 77% |
Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery: Fight Analysis
On paper, there isn’t much of a difference between Inoue and Nery because they are only separated by an inch in height (Nery is 5-foot-5 while Inoue is 5-foot-4) and 2 inches of reach (Inoue has 67 inches of reach against Nery’s 65 inches).
Also, both are almost the same age, with the Japanese being two years older (31) compared to the Mexican (29). Furthermore, Inoue and Nery have similar fighting stances of southpaw, which means that their power hand is their left hand.
The main difference between the two is their pro record and finish rate, as Inoue takes the lead in these categories with a perfect 26-0 tally and 88% TKO/KO percentage compared to Nery’s 35-1 slate and 77% finish rate.
Moving on to their fighting approach, there is a vast difference, with Inoue being the constant aggressor among the two and Nery being the more patient and defensive fighter, who likes to utilize his counterpunch.
It’s no secret that Inoue is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers today and has an incredible power that can put any contender to sleep. Once he lands a clean punch to his opponent’s head or body, they are almost guaranteed to go down the mat.
Inoue should immediately impose pressure and throw the combinations early against Nery to make him know of his power and force him to fight on his back foot. This was the same narrative we saw in the last few fights of the defending world champion.
Once Inoue’s opponents feel his power, they instantly retreat and turn into survival mode because they can’t keep up with his power for 12 rounds. This trend will likely continue against Nery because the Japanese will hunt down another stoppage victory and add another highlight-reel finish.
Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery: Date and Start Time
May 6, 3 a.m. PT
May 6, 5 a.m. CT
May 6, 6 a.m. ET
Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery: Official Prediction
Official Prediction: TKO/KO victory for Naoya Inoue.
