NAOYA INOUE takes on Luis Nery today in a huge undisputed super-bantamweight title clash in Tokyo.
The Monster is undefeated and one of the top pound-for-pound talents in all of boxing while Nery is a former world champion – so get ready for what should be a cracker of a fight.
- Main event ring-walks: 12.35pm BST
- Stream/TV: Sky Sports Action
Rounds 4-6
After a word from his team, Moloney ups it early in round four and lands a good jab.
But Takei is showing maturity for such an inexperienced boxer, picking him moments well and had his rival into a corner.
Instructions can be heard clearly from Moloney’s corner – desperate for him to get his right hand involved in the fifth round – but he is not really doing it.
Finally, in round six Moloney finds some better shots and it’s his best round so far apart from being hit with a right hook at the end.
Rounds 1-3
A positive start for Takei in the opening round – but he is warned about low blows.
And he doesn’t learn his lesson in the second as he again continues with low punches.
The referee has seen enough and slaps Takei with a point penalty to the fighter’s frustration.
In the third, Takei is dominating and a heavy right hand knocked Moloney off balance.
Body shots are working and the man nicknamed Mayhem finds himself in a spot of bother.
Jason Moloney vs Yoshiki Takei
Aussie fighter Jason Moloney is next up in the ring as he looks to retain his WBO bantamweight strap.
Yoshiki Takei is his opponent and the home favourite has the full support of the crowd at the Tokyo Dome.
This is just the Japanese star’s eight professional boxing bout and he was formally a kickboxing champion.
Takuma wins
Takuma Inoue recovers from his first round knock down to defeat Sho Ishida.
Inoue dominated the contest by the end of the bout and won via unanimous decision.
He retains his bantamweight WBA title.
Inoue’s brother knocked down
In the next undercard fight, Takuma Inoue, takes to the ring to fight Sho Ishida.
But the Inoue takeover in Tokyo is not off to a good start.
Takuma has fallen to the canvas in the first round.
A light jab from Ishida knocks him to the floor and catches Takuma off guard.
He is quickly back on his feet looking a little confused as to how that shot saw him fall over.
Job done
The undercard action has begun and the first result is in.
Seigo Yuri Akui has beaten Taku Kuwahara via unanimous decision.
It was his first fight while defending his WBA Flyweight belt.
Going all In
Naoya Inoue hasn’t been in action since a dominant stoppage win over Marlon Tapales in December 2023.
His win came after four-weight world champ Stephen Fulton in a brutal bout in July 2023.
Now he returns to face former two-weight world champion Nery
Nery has previously fought in Japan against Shinsuke Yamanaka, beating him via TKO in the fourth round.
The Mexican failed a drug test after the fight but it was later ruled to be due to contaminated food.
Nery re-matched and beat Yamanaka but failed to make weight for the bout and was subsequently banned from fighting in Japan.
He’s now back to fight in the Land of the Rising Sun, however, but this time he’s up against arguably their greatest ever fighter in Inoue.
Inoue vs Nery
Naoya Inoue faces Luis Nery at the Tokyo Dome today.
Nicknamed “The Monster”, the Japanese fighter is looking to extend his undefeated professional record.
And he defends his WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA featherweight titles.
But Mexico’s Nery is set to put up a huge challenge with his impressive 35-1 record.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk