Road to #InoueNery: Common Rivals 

Japan’s pound-for-pound hero will headline the biggest boxing event his country has ever seen.

The undisputed world super bantamweight champion Naoya “The Monster” Inoue will defend all the belts against the Mexican puncher Luis “Pantera” Nery on Monday, May 6 at the Tokyo Dome in one of the most anticipated fights worldwide in recent years.

Inoue

It is a great pleasure for me to fight against the strongest challenger of my career, Luis Nery. It will be such a gigantic show at the Tokyo Dome. “Nery is a tough, aggressive and strong boxer, so I want to train hard to defeat this opponent.”

This is the most motivating fight of my career since I see Nery as a very dangerous challenger. I want to be victorious, and Nery will not be able to do anything against me.

Nery

Naoya is a very fast, talented and strong champion, but I am ready to put on a great fight. It is an honor for me to exchange gloves with a great champion like Inoue. It will be a good fight. I will show my best performance and show that I am one of the best Mexican boxers in history.

Although both have been respectful so far, there is an inherent rivalry to this long-awaited fight that we are already eager to witness; Below we remember the common rivals they have faced.

Juan Carlos Payano

Inoue stated his reign as bantamweight monarch in July 2018 by defeating Payano via KO in the first round. The Dominican fighter had only been defeated once.

Nery faced Payano almost a year after fighting Inoue in July 2019. Pantera knocked out Juan Carlos in the ninth.

David Carmona

Inoue faced Mexican Carmona in 2016 as super flyweight champion. The fans who attended the Ariake Colosseum witnessed a resounding UD victory for The Monster.

In what marked his return to Tijuana after several years, Nery defeated Carmona by TKO in the third round in October 2022.