PICK: NAOYA INOUE VS. LUIS NERY

By: Jay Calderon

On Monday, May 6, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, and live on ESPN in the United States, undisputed world Jr. Featherweight champion Naoya Inoue will take on former two weight world titlist Luis Nery.

Inoue (26-0, 23KOs) has torn through the 122 pound division, unifying the entire division in his first two bouts at the weight. In July of 2023, Inoue debuted in the weight class with a demolition job of unified champion Stephen Fulton, stopping the then-unbeaten American inside of eight rounds. Inoue followed that up in December of last year with a stoppage win over Marlon Tapales, which earned him the remainder of the gold at Jr. Featherweight.

Nery (35-1, 27KOs) has lost only once as a professional, which was a stoppage in a fire-fight with Brandon Figueroa back in May of 2021. Since then, the Mexican has gone on to win four in a row, with three victories coming by way of stoppage. Most recently, Nery was successful in stopping Froilan Saludar inside of two frames at Bantamweight.

Check out my pick for Inoue-Nery in the video above. 

If you feel like giving me any feedback, click here.