Report: Naoya Inoue in talks to defend Ring belt against Luis Nery in Japan in May
Naoya Inoue may have a fight lined up this spring in what could be an action fight.
Inoue and once-beaten contender Luis Nery have reportedly agreed to a junior featherweight championship clash in May. ESPN’s Mike Coppinger was the first to break the story Tuesday afternoon.
The 12-round bout will reportedly take place in Tokyo, Japan, near Inoue’s hometown of Yokohama.
A Inoue-Nery clash has long been rumored over the last couple of weeks. Hideyuki Ohashi recently announced a plan for Inoue to fight three times in 2024, which included a fight against Nery.
A fight between Inoue and Nery could produce an exciting fights given the high-volume punch count they have exhibited in the past.
The 30-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 knockouts) won the Ring junior featherweight championship stopping Marlon Tapales in round nine. Tapales held the IBF and WBA world title belts entering the clash against Inoue.
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 @MikeCoppinger. pic.twitter.com/XzN1NshY5L
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) January 9, 2024
Nery, who resides in Tijuana, Mexico, became the WBC mandatory challenger, stopping Azat Hovhannisyan on February 18 in one of the best action fights of 2023. In his last bout on July 8, the southpaw Nery stopped Froilan Saludar in the second round.
There is an obstacle in terms of Nery fighting in Japan. Nery was banned from fighting there by the Japan Boxing Commission after his two fights with Shinsuke Yamanaka. In their first in 2017, Nery stopped WBC world bantamweight titleholder Yamanaka in round four, but tested positive for the banned substance zilpaterol.
In a rematch in March 2018, Nery stopped Yamanaka in round two. At the previous day’s weigh-in, Nery weighed three pounds above the bantamweight limit of 118 pounds. Yamanaka chose to have the fight go on, as the vacant WBC title was only on the line for him.
According to Coppinger, officials with the Japan Boxing Commission have assured Nery and his team the ban will be overturned for the fight against Inoue to move forward.
Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) has won his last four bouts since a knockout loss to Brandon Figueroa in May 2021 in a junior featherweight title fight. The 29-year-old Nery is currently rated No. 5 by The Ring at 122 pounds.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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