Naoya Inoue’s devastating knockout punch keeps boxing’s best story alive

Naoya Inoue isn’t exactly a household name, but make no mistake he’s the most terrifying boxer that only boxing fans really know about. Inoue defended his WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles on Monday in Japan, relegating challenger Luis Nery to the fate so many others have suffered before.

Inoue folded up Nery in the sixth round, bringing his career record to 27-0, with 24 knockouts. Nicknamed “The Monster,” this was also the first time in his career that Inoue has been knocked down, eating a brutal left hook during a lapse in concentration.

As vicious as the hook was, it only seemed to fuel Inoue. He popped back up and methodically picked apart Nery until he was able to deliver the knockout blow. This was arguably the biggest test of the fighter’s career, with Nery bringing a 37-1 record into the fight — and it was simply another day at the office.

Inoue remains No. 2 in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings, narrowly behind Terence Crawford. That could change come August, when Crawford is scheduled to have his first fight in over a year, defending his undisputed welterweight title against undefeated Israil Madrimov.