WORLD BEAT
division world titleholder and the WBC’s mandatory challenger. The Mexican southpaw’s lifetime ban in Japan – the result of two infamous violations while scoring back-to-back stoppages of Shinsuke Yamanaka years ago – was lifted by the JBC to make the event, which attracted a crowd of 43,000. The big dome was shaken when Inoue was dropped in the opening round by Nery’s powerful left, but he remained calm and collected after suffering the first knockdown of his pro career. Inoue got up and soon turned the tables, dropping Nery in the next round and again in the fifth before finishing him in the sixth round. The winner joked, “How did you all like the surprise in the first round?” during his post-fight interview in the ring. Inoue added another defense of his undisputed crown by stopping former IBF beltholder TJ Doheny in the seventh round in September. The four-division world titleholder became the first Japanese boxer to sign a sponsorship contract with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh in November, and then got ready to put all of his belts on the line against IBF and WBO mandatory Sam Goodman on Christmas Eve. It would have been the first time he fought three times in a year since 2017, but the bout was postponed when Goodman was injured in his final day of sparring before heading to Japan. The Monster will be busier in 2025, starting with Goodman on January 24.
Hardest Worker: Junto Nakatani
Nakatani was one of the busiest pound- for-pound-rated boxers in the world in 2024, winning three WBC title fights by knockout. He started the year in dominant fashion, twice dropping Alexandro Santiago en route to finishing him in the sixth round in February, winning the green belt. Five months later, it took only 157 seconds for him to make his
Junto Nakatani emerged as Naoya Inoue’s heir apparent in 2024 and seems headed for a showdown with “The Monster.”
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