Naoya Inoue got caught cold in the first round by Luis Nery but came back to win emphatically.
Nery got off to an excellent start, dropping Inoue in the opening stanza with a vicious left hook.
1
It marked the first time the Japanese icon has touched down during his illustrious career.
Ringside cameras caught the knockdown in all its glory as Inoue made a 180-degree turn before crashing to the canvas.
The Tokyo Dome fell silent while Inoue climbed back to his feet.
But to his credit, he shook off the shot quickly and saw out the round.
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In round two, Inoue returned the favour by flooring his adversary with a crisp check hook as Nery advanced.
Naoya Inoue channels inner Max Holloway as he showboats and taunts Luis Nery before brutally knocking him out
The knockdown appeared to slow Nery down as Inoue began to get into his groove.
By the third frame, Inoue had started to neutralise Nery’s jab, by parrying his lead hand and coming over the top with the clubbing right.
In round five, another left hook dropped Nery but rather than looking to hold on and survive, he threw caution to the wind in response.
This proved to be his downfall, one round later, when the challenger was sent crashing through the ropes after eating a massive right hand.
The referee stepped in and waved off the fight as the 55,000 fans in attendance jumped for joy.
In the immediate aftermath, Inoue welcomed IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman into the ring and confirmed that he's planning to defend his undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super-bantamweight world titles against the Aussie in September.
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