Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Nery fight prediction, odds, undercard, start time, live stream, expert picks

CBS Sports’ No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer returns to the ring on Monday when Naoya Inoue defends his status as undisputed junior featherweight champion against Luis Nery. Inoue vs. Nery sits atop a stack of cards that serves as the first boxing event to be held at the Tokyo Dome since James “Buster” Douglas’ historic defeat of Mike Tyson in 1990.

Inoue has become one of the most dominant forces in boxing, with his 26-0 record featuring 23 knockout victories. Inoue has won titles at junior flyweight, junior bantamweight, bantamweight and now junior featherweight, remaining undisputed at the latter two weights.

Inoue spent 2023 winning junior featherweight in just two fights. In July, Inoue faced WBO and WBC champion Stephen Fulton in a highly anticipated fight only to defeat Fulton before scoring an eighth-round stoppage. This set up a December showdown with IBF and WBA champion Marlon Tapales, winning the fight with a 10th round stoppage.

“This is, I think, the biggest and most important boxing event in Japanese history,” Top Rank president Bob Arum said this week. “After so many years since Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas fought at the Tokyo Dome, boxing is returning to Tokyo’s famous and huge stadium for this event.

“Challenger Nery is a well-known face here in Japan and is one of the best lightweight fighters in the world. Like all Mexican fighters, he is a warrior who will come here on Monday night to do his best to emerge victorious in the fight.”

Nery is an intriguing opponent based on his history in Japan. After Nery defeated Shinsuke Yamanaka in a 2017 fight in Japan to win the WBC bantamweight title, it was announced that Nery had failed a drug test. The title returned to Yamanaka, but the result of the fight was ultimately upheld as the failed test was determined to be a result of contaminated food.

Nery then rematched Yamanaka two fights later, this time scoring a technical knockout in the second round. Nery again failed to win the WBC title because he missed weight by three pounds. As a result, Japan’s boxing commission suspended Nery from fighting again in the country.

That ban was reversed when Inoue began plotting a fight with Nery and means the already pro-Inoue crowd will be even more enthusiastic about rooting against Nery, who has twice stopped a Japanese fan favorite in questionable circumstances.

The rest of the card is loaded with world title clashes. Jason Moloney will defend the WBO bantamweight championship against Yoshiki Takei. Moloney, the 33-year-old Australian, has won six straight since his 2020 TKO loss to Inoue. Moloney won the WBO title for two fights, with a majority decision win over Vincent Astrolabio in May 2023. He retained his crown with another majority decision over Saul Sanchez in January.

“I’ve had incredible preparation and I’m in the best condition of my career,” Moloney said this week. “I am very excited to be part of this historic event and very well prepared to put on an incredible fight. I’m ready to defend my title.

“Every time I step into the ring, I give it my all and I intend to give the fans an exciting fight on Monday night. Takei is fighting to be world champion, but I’m in the best shape of my career and ready to give the best performance of my career.”

Elsewhere, Seigo Yuri Akui looks to defend his WBA flyweight title against Taku Kuwahara. The clash is a rematch of the 2021 meeting, where Auki scored a technical knockout in the 10th round. Auki has won seven straight, including a decision over Artem Dalakian in January to claim the WBA crown. Kuwahara has won five straight since their first meeting. Additionally, Takuma Inoue plans to defend his WBA bantamweight title against Sho Ishida.

Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the tie with the latest odds before we get to an expert’s prediction and pick on the main event below.

Inoue vs Nery fight card, odds

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Prediction

Nery is a solid fighter. He has faced talented opponents and had to face fights, like his February 2023 thriller with Azat Hovhannisyan. That being said, Inoue is an animal unlike any other in boxing. Inoue is a ruthless fighter who not only has enormous knockout power, but also possesses true boxing skills.

Inoue is a near-perfect fighter, the kind of “monster” you would create in a laboratory to dominate the boxing world. Yes, he’s a -1200 favorite, but that would be the case against basically any opponent available. Inoue is very good. Nery’s return to Japan after his suspension should almost be seen as a punishment, given what Inoue is capable of doing to him. Pick: Naoya Inoue by TKO8