Undisputed world champion Naoya Inoue will be watching live on Sky Sports Action from 9am on Monday 6th May as he looks to extend his perfect professional record against Lewis Nery at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.Inoue is the second man in boxing history to become undisputed champion in two weight classes.
9:35, UK, Sunday 5 May 2024
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Monday's lunchtime battle between undisputed world champion Naoya Inoue and Mexico's Luis Nery, broadcast live on Sky Sports from the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
When, where and how?
Inoue will defend his WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA junior featherweight titles against former two-division world champion Neri, looking to extend his undefeated professional record and strengthen his claim to pound-for-pound greatness.
The bout is being delivered as a Monday lunchtime treat for British fight fans and is being broadcast live on Sky Sports Action from 9am, ahead of the main event ring walk at around 12:15pm.
It's the start of a packed week of boxing action, broadcast live on Sky. On Saturday, May 11, in Cardiff, Olympic champion Lauren Price will take on Jessica McCaskill for the first world title of her professional career.
Also, the great Vasily Lomachenko will face George Kambosos for the vacant IBF lightweight world title on May 12th in Perth, Australia.
Naoya Inoue's professional results
- Year: 31
- height: 5'5.5″
- Total number of battles: 26
- record: 26-0 (23KO)
Luis Neri's professional record
- Year: 29
- height: 5'5″
- Total number of battles: 36
- record: 35-1 (27KO)
What do you need to know about fighter jets?
Inoue has amassed a 26-0 record, including 23 wins by knockout, and has established himself as one of the most powerful figures in world boxing. The Japanese star ranks second on the pound-for-pound list behind Terrence Crawford, and is the second undisputed champion in two weight classes in the four-belt era after Crawford. He is the first man to hold world titles in four weight classes.
He comes into this fight on the strength of his 10th-round knockout win over Marlon Tapares last December and his victory over former unified champion Stephen Fulton earlier this year to become the undisputed super bantamweight champion.
Neri has an impressive record of 35-1, including 27 knockouts, most recently stopping Froilan Sardar in the second round last July. His only career loss came in 2021 when he suffered a seventh-round knockout to Brandon Figueroa.
The 29-year-old has fought twice in Japan before, most notably in 2017 when he failed a drug test after defeating Shinsuke Yamanaka, but blamed the positive test on contaminated food. He won the rematch a year later after losing weight.
Who is on the undercard?
The undercard bout will feature Australia's WBO bantamweight champions. Jason Maroney (27-2, 19 KOs) Defends title against former kickboxing world champion Yoshiki Takei (8 wins, 0 losses, 8 KOs).
WBA bantamweight world champion Takuma Inoue (19 wins, 1 loss, 5 KOs), Naoya's younger brother will be competing for the title. Sho Ishida (34 wins, 3 losses, 17 KOs).
WBA flyweight world champion Seigo/Yuri Akui (19 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, 11 KOs) Face too Taku Kuwabara (13 wins, 1 loss, 8 KOs) It was a rematch of their 2021 encounter, with the former emerging victorious after a 10-round stoppage.
Will anyone be able to defeat the boxing monster?
Sky Sports' Cam Hogwood…
He is small and very towering. He is quiet but very loud. He's a little fast, a little scary, a little mysterious, and a little nice. He fights on Boxing Day and random weekdays. While some overlook his excellence, others still defend him as great.
Naoya Inoue may be the most dangerous man on the planet. Too often, his dominance may allow him to slip through the mainstream net too easily.
He and his best men rarely ventured outside the Japanese fortress, only four times in fact. There he is a god, and hopeful warriors travel far and wide to take on him, only to be brutally killed by a boxing real-life monster.
Neri features an aspiring fighter with a fearless belligerence that gives him the power to go head-to-head with Inoue. He's a talented competitor, but when he arrives in Tokyo, he'll be greeted by a different kind of talent. No one is threatening Inoue. No matter how qualified they are, no one can threaten Inoue. Neri, for all his qualities, is just the next player.