Inoue survives a knockdown, stops Nery

Japan’s superstar Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24 KO’s) survived a knockdown in a first round and beat Mexico’s Luis Neary (35-2) with a stoppage in round six to keep the undisputed title in super-bantamweight division.

The “Monster” thrilled over 55,000 fans in “Tokyo Dome” on Monday night.

Inoue was dropped from a powerful left from Nery in first round. But that only lit a fire in him. After exchanging left-hook knockdowns in opening two rounds, Inoue turned on style to break down Mexico’s Neary and finish the fight with brutal right hand.

Inoue kept the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

Inoue expertly managed to fit all four world title belts around his 5ft 5in frame as he delivered a rousing post-fight interview to his adoring fans.

“How did you like the big surprise in the first round? I was not happy I got knocked down,” Inoue said. “That happening gave me good motivation. I am so thankful to get the fight against Nery.”

It was the first boxing event at “Tokyo Dome” since James “Buster” Douglas produced one of biggest upsets in history by stopping Mike Tyson in 1990.

In undercard Takuma Inoue (20-1) defended the WBA World bantamweight title beating Sho Ishida (34-4) by unanimous decision.

Yoshiki Takei (9-0) won the WBO World bantamweight title beating the champion Jason Maloney (27-3) via unanimous decision.

Seigo Yuri Akui (20-2-1) defended WBA World flyweight title by defeating Taku Kuwahara (13-2).