Luis Nery Believes He Finishes Naoya Inoue by Knockout!
One-time WBC bantamweight champion Luis “Pantera” Nery (32-1, 24 KOs) is setting his sights on a match with multi-divisional champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue (24-0, 21 KOs). Nery feels he has the best chance of knocking Inoue off his perch.
BRING ON THE MONSTER
Pantera is coming off an exciting eleventh-round stoppage over Avat Hovhannisyan in a WBC junior featherweight title eliminator. Afterward, Nery told the media source Fight Hub TV about his desire to face Monster.
“(Translated from Spanish) We’re looking for Inoue. We think it’s a big fight, and we’re going to finish him.”
Inoue is in negotiations to face reigning unified junior featherweight champion Stephen Fulton Jr. Alongside Nery during the interview was his promoter, Fernando Beltran. The plan is to see how Inoue fares against Fulton, but Nery wants to keep active and stay sharp. On the subject of how he sizes up against the fighter from Japan, Pantera is confident that Inoue will not go the distance.
“I see the fight going by knockout. He’s a fighter who goes in front of you. He’s a brave fighter, and I do the same thing. So, it will be a knockout.”
FROM FANTASY MATCHUP TO REALITY?
A matchup between the two has been a topic of discussion by observers of the lower-weight divisions for several years. The thought was that it would occur at 118 when Nery was a bantamweight champion and Inoue was the WBO champion at 115. But Nery became the casualty of his own lack of discipline. He was stripped of the WBC 118-pound title after failing to make weight before his rematch with Shinsuke Yamanaka in March 2018. Since losing the belt, Nery has been plagued by inconsistent performances and weight issues.
Inoue is a fighter who has gained mainstream appeal and is the cash cow in the lower-weight divisions. Pantera has gone from a potential star to one of the most criticized fighters in the sport. Despite Nery’s flaws, his punching power is legit, and a fight with Inoue would be an exciting contest. Should Inoue defeat Fulton, the likelihood is that his next fight could be against Nery, who is now the mandatory challenger by the WBC.
