That was wild.
Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue defended his super bantamweight titles on Monday inside Tokyo Dome in Japan by stopping Luis Nery by way of sixth-round technical knockout. But the fight was not without its share of drama for Inoue fans.
“The Monster” was floored with an insane corkscrew knockdown in the opening frame.
“How did you like that big surprise in the first round?” Inoue asked the crowd during his post-fight interview. “The knockdown gave me motivation. I am so thankful to get a fight against Luis Nery at the Tokyo Dome.”
“I know there was some difficult feeling among Japanese boxing fans because of his fights in the past, but I personally appreciate Nery,” Inoue continued. “That’s why I shook hands with him after the fight.”
The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak for the 29 year-old Nery.
The IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO Super Bantamweight Champion is expected to make his return to the “sweet science” in September, and was promptly called out by IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman after the fight.
Inoue, 31, improved to 27-0 (24 KOs) with his victory over Nery.