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Top Rank made headlines on Tuesday with the announcement of a high-stakes boxing event set to take place on May 6 at the Tokyo Dome. Naoya "The Monster" Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight world champion, will defend his title against former two-division world champion Luis "Pantera" Nery in what promises to be a thrilling matchup.
For Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs), this fight marks his debut headlining at the iconic Tokyo Dome, adding to the significance of the event. The card will also feature three other world title defenses, including Jason "Mayhem" Moloney defending his WBO bantamweight title against Yoshiki Takei, Takuma Inoue – Naoya's brother and WBA bantamweight titlist – defending his belt against Sho Ishida, and a rematch between WBA flyweight world titlist Seigo Yuri Akui and Taku Kuwahara.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum expressed his excitement for the event, predicting it could be one of boxing's biggest of the year.
"Naoya Inoue is the world's best fighter, a young man who amazes me every time he steps in the ring," Arum said. "Luis Nery is a tough challenger, but I fully expect Inoue to get the job done in front of more than 50,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome."
The Tokyo Dome last hosted a boxing event in 1990, a historic bout where James "Buster" Douglas famously knocked out Mike Tyson to claim the undisputed heavyweight crown.
Inoue, 30, has had an impressive career, winning his first world title in April 2014 and maintaining a dominant presence in the boxing world ever since. With a record of 21-0, 19 KOs in world title fights, Inoue has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with, holding undisputed world titles at bantamweight and super bantamweight.
On the other side, Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) is coming off a strong performance against Azat Hovhannisyan, propelling him into discussions for Fight of the Year. Nery is on a four-fight winning streak since his knockout loss to Brandon Figueroa, making him a formidable opponent for Inoue.