This Monday, 6 May, is going to be a red-letter day for boxing fans all over the world.
It will be the first defense of the undisputed world super-bantamweight crown of Naoya “Monster” Inoue, who meets a formidable for in Mexican headbanger Luis “Pantera” Nery at the fabled Tokyo Dome.
For Filipinos, it will be another opportunity to size up Inoue and determine if there is a guy out there who can destroy Godzilla.
Though there is one dude who actually could, the problem is that he is not on Inoue’s radar screen owing to his inactivity.
But that’s another story.
The past few days, I reached out to knowledgeable individuals to ask their take on the mouthwatering matchup.
And here’s what they have to say.
Emil Romano, former Manny Pacquiao trainer and one-time world title challenger:
70-30 for Inoue. Nery is tailor-made for Inoue’s right. Although Nery has displayed power, he gets hit easily. Inoue is aggressive and throws a lot and if he lands an uppercut, Nery’s getting knocked out.
Pedro Taduran, former IBF minimumweight champion: All I can is that this fight is a great fight and I am behind them but I think Inoue’s going to win.”
Art Monis, matchmaker: Inoue by knockout.
JC Mananquil, promoter: I think no one can beat Inoue at 122lbs but nothing is impossible, I heard Nery is very focused and changed his lifestyle for this bout.
Sugar “Ting” Ariosa, trainer: Naoya Inoue enjoys advantages over Luis Nery in terms of boxing skills, hometown resources (full-scale team personnel), comfort and support from family and friends which include moral and spiritual.
Naoya is the fastest in terms of moving in and out of his target and if he is allowed to enjoy doing that, he will hurt and damage his opponent in the early rounds and he will be in control all the way to the end.
Luis “Pantera” Nery is very strong and he is known for his stamina and endurance so he must fight all out starting the first round as if it is the last round and maintain that mindset every round.
Nobody can beat Naoya Inoue in his backyard with half-baked boxing skill and ability.
Luis “Pantera” Nery must be able to exert an all-out effort of all his boxing abilities from start to finish to have a chance to win.
Reality dictates that I have to honestly favor Naoya Inoue to win this fight either by unanimous decision or via KO.
Edito Villamor, two-time world title challenger: Inoue by KO. He is just too strong.
Gerry Peñalosa, two-division world champion: Inoue is too much, KO win for him.
Nonoy Neri, trainer: Nery’s going to get knocked out in about six rounds.
Brix Flores, trainer and 1986 Asian Games bronze medalist: It will be a KO win by Inoue. He is faster and stronger than Nery. Ten rounds will already be a long time for this fight. Nery loves to get inside and it will be easy to catch him.
Danrex Tapdasan, referee: The fight between Naoya Inoue and Luis Nery is a very interesting match-up. Inoue is a generational fighter and arguably the No. 1 pound for pound fighter today. Luis Nery on the other hand is 2-0 in Japan, former world champion, a mandatory challenger and a typical Mexican fighter with tremendous heart and endurance. Despite Inoue’s reputation as the “Monster,” I believe Nery will not be intimidated about his reputation. This will be a firefight from start to finish. Someone will get knocked out. Don’t blink.
So there you go.
It’s time to place your bets.