‘He Has Weaknesses’: Luis Nery Ready to Slay the ‘Monster’ on May 6

Former two-division world champion Luis Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) will take on pound-for-pound king Naoya “Monster” Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) for the undisputed junior featherweight world championship on Monday, May 6 at the Tokyo Dome. The undisputed clash will top a fascinating world title quadruple header shown live on ESPN+. Following a recent training session in El Paso, Texas, Nery has revealed his belief about the upcoming bout.

Luis Nery vs. Naoya Inoue: World Title Quadruple Header

Luis Nery vs. Naoya Inoue

Former two-division world champion Nery will aim to shock the world of boxing and dethrone Inoue at the first boxing event at “The Big Egg” since February 1990, when James “Buster” Douglas shocked the world and beat Mike Tyson. Nery-Inoue will be the main event and the Mexican fighter is seemingly confident of pulling off the shock. 

In the co-feature, Jason “Mayhem” Moloney (27-2, 19 KOs) will defend his WBO bantamweight strap against Yoshiki Takei (8-0, 8 KOs). Takuma Inoue (19-1, 5 KOs), will defend his WBA bantamweight crown against former world title challenger Sho Ishida (34-3, 17 KOs), with Seigo Yuri Akui (19-2-1, 11 KOs) risking his WBA flyweight world title against Taku Kuwahara (13-1, 8 KOs) in a rematch of their 2021 encounter.

Nery’s only defeat came against Brandon Figueroa – but he has recovered well winning his last four fights, with a tough split decision triumph against Carlos Castro and an impressive second-round KO last time out against Froilan Saludar. He was also involved in an entertaining slugfest in early 2023 against Azat Hovhannisyan.

“Monster” is a four-division world champion who has destroyed all comers throughout his career thus far. He destroyed Stephen Fulton and most recently defeated Marlon Tapales. 

Nery Ready to Shock the World

“This is the highest stage one can reach as a fighter. It’s like soccer players who prepare their entire lives for a World Cup. It’s the same. This is bigger than being a world champion. It’s four belts. It’s undisputed,” said Nery.

Nery spoke about wanting to fight Inoue and how he sees weaknesses to exploit: “I’ve been wanting to fight him for about three years now. Fortunately, the opportunity has come, and we are taking it seriously. He is an elite fighter. He’s among the best fighters. He is fast. He is strong. But he has weaknesses, and he does take some punches.”

Revealing his desire to win this fight: “I’m the only one who can beat Inoue because I have good power, I can take punches, I have heart, and I’m willing to die in the ring. I’m a fighter who, above all, is a brawler. I like to brawl in the ring. But, I like to counter as well. If the fight allows for it, and if the fighter and the style allow for it, then I do it. I adapt to whatever style of fight I’m in to get the victory.”

He continued: “I think that Inoue shouldn’t have taken this fight. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t have taken it. He has nothing to win by beating me. In fact, he has everything to lose. I have nothing to lose. I’m not a champion. I’m not at the top like him. I’m going for all the marbles. I’m coming with everything. I will take risks, and I’m willing to die in the ring.”

Magnitude of the Fight and Prediction

Addressing the magnitude of the fight, the Mexican said: “This is an important fight. It deserves to be in an arena that is just as important like the Tokyo Dome. And I think it’s a sign. If Mike Tyson can lose his unbeaten record there, then so can Naoya Inoue. Now, Mike Tyson was actually a monster. He for sure was an assassin. So, I’m happy that they made the fight at Tokyo Dome.”

He continued: “I will win by knockout. There’s no other way. I know that either he or I will be stopped. But I’m sure that he will be stopped.”