Naoya Inoue channels inner Max Holloway as he showboats and taunts Luis Nery before brutally knocking him out

06/05/2024 15:44

Naoya Inoue put on one hell of a show for the 55,000 spectators in attendance for his fight with Luis Nery on Monday.

The undisputed super-bantamweight king retained his titles in front of a packed-out Tokyo Dome via sixth-round knockout.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing.

Inoue was dropped for the first time in his career in the opening stanza after Nery uncorked a massive left hook.

The Japanese sensation would recover well though and returned the favour in round two by flooring his adversary with a crisp check hook.

This prompted a rare show of emotion from the stoic champion as he slapped his gloves together before getting right back to work.

After flooring Nery, Inoue began to get into his groove and looked as if he was really starting to enjoy himself as he taunted the Mexican challenger.

In round four, Inoue channelled the iconic showboating of former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway as he tapped his chin and beckoned Nery to come forward.

In his last outing against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, Holloway pointed to the floor and invited his opponent to thrown down before knocking him out with a second remaining in the fight.

Nery was far more reluctant to throw caution to the wind in this moment having already felt his opponent’s power.

But in round five after being dropped by another left hook, Nery bit down on his gumshield and let his hands fly.

This would ultimately prove to be his downfall when, one round later, the challenger was sent crashing through the ropes after eating a massive right hand.

In the immediate aftermath, Inoue welcomed IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman into the ring and confirmed that he’s planning to defend his undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super-bantamweight world titles against the Aussie in September.

Goodman’s promoter George Rose said prior to Inoue’s win over Nery: "This would be a huge coup for not only Australian boxing, but Australian sport. Inoue is a once-in-a-generation fighter.

"It's why the guy is packing out stadiums in Japan, why he has such a huge following globally and why whenever he takes a world title fight, it's something the whole world tunes in for.

“The aura he has at the moment, the fighter you compare him to is Manny Pacquiao. This is the fight Sam wants and one we want in Australia."