Inoue Vs. Nery: Weights And Expert Predictions

FOUR world title fights to stream LIVE on ESPN+ MONDAY at 4 a.m. ET/1 a.m. PT – The ringwalks for Inoue vs. Nery are scheduled for 6 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. UK

Naoya Inoue will be defending his four super-bantamweight belts against another Mexican in Luis Nery on Monday in Tokio.

Both fights promise to be explosive, if perhaps one-sided in favour of the two champions. Canelo is a big favourite to defeat Munguia, although a couple of experts who took part in the traditional Ring Magazine fight picks poll are picking Munguia to pull it off in Las Vegas.

But it’s a different story regarding the Ring poll on who wins in Japan on Monday. Of the 20 experts asked, not a single one is picking Nery to derail “The Monster.” Inoue, perfect at 26-0(23) is for some people the reigning pound-for-pound king, and this will not change on Monday. Not according to the 20 experts who spoke with ‘The Bible of Boxing,’ anyway.

Of the 20 experts asked their opinion, 18 are picking the champ to score the KO or stoppage, and some experts, such as Raul Marquez and Rich Marotta, are of the mind that Inoue does it pretty quick, somewhere between three and five rounds. The two experts who feel Inoue will have to go the distance to see off Nery, are Duke McKenzie, who interestingly picks Inoue to win via majority decision, and Marty Mulcahey, who says Inoue by UD.

Nery will of course not be listening to the experts, he is focused and in the zone. And the 29 year old southpaw with the 35-1(27) record is sounding hugely confident going in, and he has been ever since the fight was first announced. But then plenty of Inoue’s previous foes came across as confident when heading into the fight with him, only to be wiped out, or outboxed and then wiped out.

31 year old Inoue is special, very special. He is a generational talent. Inoue seems to have zero weaknesses, even if Nery is insistent he has spotted some holes in Inoue’s game. Inoue is also boxing at home, before his adoring countrymen and women. It’s a huge task Nery will face on Monday.

Look for Nery, who can crack, to give it his all, before ultimately being stopped, perhaps saved by his corner or by the referee, in around six exciting, if one-sided sessions.

• Date: Monday, May 6
• Start Time: 4 a.m. ET / 1 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. BST (UK)
• Streaming: Live on ESPN+
• Venue: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan

Updated Fight Card:

(ESPN+, 4 a.m. ET/1 a.m. PT)

• Naoya Inoue: 121 3/4 lbs | 55.3 kg vs. Luis Nery: 121 lbs | 54.9 kg (Inoue’s Undisputed Junior Featherweight World Title – 12 Rounds, Referee: Michael Griffin, Judges: Benoit Roussel, Jose Roberto Torres, Adam Height) ESTIMATED RING WALK TIME: 7:35 a.m. ET/4:35 a.m. PT
• Jason Moloney: 117 3/4 lbs | 53.5 kg vs. Yoshiki Takei: 117 3/4 lbs | 53.5 kg (Moloney’s WBO Bantamweight World Title — 12 Rounds, Referee: Steve Willis, Judges: Benoit Roussel, Ellis Johnson, Lou Moret) ESTIMATED RING WALK TIME: 6:25 a.m. ET/3:25 a.m. PT
• Takuma Inoue: 117 3/4 lbs | 53.5 kg vs. Sho Ishida: 117 3/4 lbs | 53.5 kg (Inoue’s WBA Bantamweight World Title — 12 Rounds, Referee: Luis Pabon, Judges: Pinit Prayadsab, Kazunobu Asao, Michiaki Someya) ESTIMATED RING WALK TIME: 5:20 a.m. ET/2:20 a.m. PT
• Seigo Yuri Akui: 112 lbs | 50.8 kg vs. Taku Kuwahara: 112 lbs | 50.8 kg (Akui’s WBA Flyweight World Title — 12 Rounds, Referee: Raul Caiz Jr.) ESTIMATED RING WALK TIME: 4:10 a.m. ET/1:10 a.m. PT