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May 6: Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery undisputed WBO junior featherweight fight at Tokyo Dome Showdown

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The Japanese pound-for-pound hero will headline the biggest boxing event his country has ever seen. Undisputed junior featherweight world champion Naoya “The Monster” Inoue will defend all her belts against Mexican boxer Luis “Pantera” Nery on Monday, May 6 at the Tokyo Dome.

Inoue, a four-time world champion and the undisputed king of two weight classes, will be the main star of this iconic gala for the first time.

Inoue-Nery and three additional world title bouts will air live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ at 4 a.m. ET/1 a.m. PT. Australian WBO Bantamweight World Champion Jason “Mayhem” Moloney will defend his belt against rising knockout artist and former Kickboxing World Champion Yoshiki Takei.

“Naoya Inoue is the best fighter in the world, a newborn man who amazes me every time he steps into the ring. “Luis Nery is a tough challenger, but I fully expect Inoue to get the job done in front of over 50,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome,” top CEO Bob Arum said. “In addition to this incredible main event, we have a spectacular undercard headlined by Jason Moloney, a road warrior who comes to Japan determined to show that he is the best bantamweight in the world.”

The Tokyo Dome, which opened in March 1988, has a compact but wealthy boxing history. Four days after the facility’s grand opening, Mike Tyson defended his undisputed heavyweight championship via second-round TKO over Tony Tubbs in front of 51,000 spectators. The last professional boxing gala in “The Huge Egg” took place in February 1990. In one of the biggest moments in sports, James “Buster” Douglas knocked out Tyson in the 10th round to claim the undisputed crown.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KO) won his first world title in April 2014 and has performed flawlessly since then. He has an astonishing 21-0 record in world title fights, including 19 knockouts. He became the undisputed champion in two weight classes in 378 days, defeating Paul Butler in December 2022 to become the bantamweight ruler, and defeating Marlon Tapales last December to unify the junior featherweight division. Five months before Tapales’ triumph, Inoue defeated previously undefeated two-division American champion Stephen Fulton in his junior featherweight debut. He was named the 2023 Fighter of the Year by ESPN.com and Ring Magazine, and he debuts in 2024 with the intention of consolidating his hold on the division.

Nery (35-1, 27 KO) is a former two-weight world champion who won the WBC title in both the bantamweight and junior divisions. Nery lost the bantamweight title after missing weight in a 2018 rematch with Shinsuke Yamanaka, whom he dethroned for the belt the year before. In 2020, he won a decision over Aaron Alameda and became a two-weight world champion. Nery’s undefeated streak ended the following year with a seventh-round loss to Brandon Figueroa and a chance to unify the title. Since the loss in Figueroa, he has won four straight fights, including a sensational 11th-round knockout of Azat Hovhannisyan last February in one of the best fights of the year.

Moloney (27-2, 19 KO) won the world title in his third attempt, defeating Filipino veteran Vincent Astrolabio by majority decision last May. He defended his WBO belt in January, defeating Saul Sanchez on both occasions in Quebec City, Canada. Moloney retained his title by majority decision and will once again head to foreign soil. Takei (8-0, 8 KO) is a winger who turned professional in March 2021 and quickly rose in the rankings. His last fight was on the Inoue-Tapales undercard, defeating Mario Diaz Maldonado in the second round. As a kickboxer, he went 23-2 with 16 knockouts and held the K-1 super bantamweight championship for almost three years.

Moloney said: “I have always wanted to fight in Japan and to do it at this huge event in front of a completely sold out crowd at the Tokyo Dome is a dream come true. I want to be known as the world champion who returned to the past. I won the title in America, defended it in Canada, and now I’m ready to go into enemy territory and defend the title in Japan against the undefeated Yoshiki Takei. I know the Japanese fans will be joyful with this fight and I’m looking forward to gaining fresh fans in Japan and around the world. On May 6, I will show the world what the ‘Mayhem Era’ is all about!

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UK Boxing

Jake Paul has already been told by Mike Tyson’s replacement option that he will be ready to fight

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Roy Jones Jr has expressed his willingness to fight Jake Paul if he is called upon to replace Mike Tyson. The 55-year-old boxing icon said he was looking forward to replacing Tyson after the scheduled July 20 fight between Paul and Tyson proved to be a setback.

Tyson had to withdraw from the long-awaited fight due to being declared incapacitated due to the recurrence of a peptic ulcer. Considered one of the most talented fighters to ever step into the ring, Jones faced Tyson in an eight-round exhibition match, who had scored no goals four years earlier.

Still, the accomplished multiple world heavyweight champion didn’t mince words about the prospect of facing Paul, showing he’s ready to compete if he gets the nod. “I’m kind of thinking about it,” Jones told Betway earlier this year, referring to the possibility of facing Paul. “I might try to get in shape if that happens. Maybe I can achieve that.”

“I’ve never thought about it before, but given the situation surrounding the fight, I think it’s a great idea and I’ll be ready and in shape because if the fight doesn’t happen, this will be the perfect replacement fighter for Mike Tyson with Jake Paul is something I was thinking about, if the fight happens, then yes.

Despite retiring six years ago, Jones couldn’t resist returning to fight former UFC champion Anthony Pettis last September, which he lost on points, reports said. Mirror. Addressing the rumors circulating about a potential fight with Tommy Fury, Paul’s previous opponent, and the possibility of facing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at the exhibition, the former heavyweight champion expressed his enthusiasm.

“Of course the Tommy Fury thing came up, and one day someone asked me if I would fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the gala, and it’s crazy. I would jump on it, but now that it’s out there, it makes sense for Jake Paul to get into shape, and it would be one of the biggest fights of the decade.”

Jones, reflecting on the much-discussed fight, admitted he couldn’t imagine Paul beating Tyson, once called the most feared man in boxing. He suggested that despite Paul’s juvenile age, Tyson’s skills would likely overwhelm him.

Speaking to FightHype, Jones said: “It’s a juvenile lion and an elderly lion. It’s a great situation for them. He gives Jake a chance because Mike is his age. I think it’s a great opportunity for both players, but still, I think Mike will be a little too large for Jake.

While Jones appears ready to go, reports indicate that Tyson, 58, has recovered from a grave relapse of a peptic ulcer that left him dizzy during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles in May, allowing him to enter the ring against Paul .

Paramedics rushed to facilitate Tyson at LAX and, after a thorough examination, confirmed he was doing well despite his fear. Discussing the incident with Mail Online, Tyson revealed that his food choices were to blame for his health scare, revealing: “I was eating too much bad food and stuff and it made me diseased.”

The highly anticipated fight between Tyson and Paul will take place on November 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They are expected to fight in front of a potential audience of 90,000 viewers, and the fight will be streamed live on Netflix.

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Frank Warren reveals Dubois-Joshua rematch may not be next

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Dubois scored a career best win against Joshua last month (Photo Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

Warren revealed other options are being considered (Image: DAZN, Adrian Dennis)
Warren revealed other options are being considered (Image: DAZN, Adrian Dennis)

Frank Warren says there are several options being considered for Daniel Dubois’ next move beyond a rematch with Anthony Joshua.

Last month, Warren sat ringside and watched his man Dubois stunningly knocks out Joshua to retain the IBF heavyweight world title at a packed Wembley Stadium.

Early indications were that both would withdraw immediately, with Saudi Arabian boss Turki Alalshikh reportedly keen on a second all-British clash between the two.

However, while Warren confirmed that “Dynamite” would be released again in early 2025, he added that it “may not” involve Joshua again.

I’m talking to DiscussionSPORTQueensberry’s boss stated:

Dubois scored the best win of his career against Joshua last month (Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Turki Alalshikh reportedly wants to see how Dubois and Joshua respond on the pitch (Image credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

He will fight next year, early next year. And we are only looking at a few matches

Hopefully we can do it by next week and he will face us. But he will defend his title and we will see who it will be.

“It might be AJ, it might not. It depends. But whatever happens, he will come out.

Warren says his man could go in a different direction (Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing)
Warren says his man could go in a different direction (Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing)

“He will definitely face someone and take advantage of what he did in that fight.

“I mean, he really, really, announced himself on the world stage in a large way, right?

“I mean, I have no problem with this fight [Joshua rematch]. I would fight all day for him.”

If a rematch with “AJ” is not next, Dubois has been linked with fights against the likes of Joseph Parker, Zhilei Zhang and the winner of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.

Many boxing celebrities urged Joshua to stay away from the rematch with “DDD” and some even said he should consider hanging up his gloves.

But his promoter Eddie Hearn insists the Watford player, who celebrated his 36th birthday today, is adamant he wants a chance to get revenge on his younger compatriot.

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UK Boxing

Jake Paul’s girlfriend makes a disturbing remark to Mike Tyson as tensions arise before the fight

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Jake Paul’s partner Jutta Leerdam has admitted that ‘The Problem Child’ could be knocked out by boxing titan Mike Tyson next month.

At 27 years antique, Paul is currently preparing for his match against “Iron Mike” in just over a month. The long-awaited clash between the two boxing heavyweights will take place on November 15 at ATandT Stadium in Texas.

Tyson, now 58, last competed in a professional match in 2005, where he suffered a fifth-round defeat to Irishman Kevin McBride. But four years ago he returned to the ring for an exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr.

In turn, Paul, an American social media phenomenon, has won victories over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz since his professional debut in 2020. His only defeat in the boxing arena was a points defeat to Tommy Fury last year.

The decision to continue the match was met with widespread criticism, especially after Tyson had to withdraw from the original scheduled date in July due to a recurrence of his peptic ulcer. After being advised to stop training, the 58-year-old recently resumed training and maintains he will be ready to step into the ring next month.

At the peak of his career, “Iron Mike” was widely recognized as one of the most powerful players in the sport.

Many believe Tyson’s knockout power remains a sedate threat, with some speculating that he could bring an opponent to their knees. Leerdam, an Olympic silver medalist in speed skating, connected with Paul after he slid into her Instagram chats last year and invited her to appear on his podcast.

The 25-year-old believes in the victory of “The Problem Child” over the boxing icon, but is aware that Tyson has the potential to deal a devastating blow to his younger opponent.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, she expressed her admiration for Paul’s rapid improvement: “Jake’s progress is not normal. Other athletes make a few percentage points of progress per year, if at all. Jake does so much throughout the year so I really trust his abilities. I’m very proud of him, but of course Mike Tyson could throw one punch harder than Mike has ever thrown – and it will be a hit for Jake.

Despite the possible dangers, Paul spent a lot of time analyzing Tyson’s previous fights, confident that he had cracked the code and defeated the 58-year-old legend. He suspects Tyson will want to “trap me on the ropes and then get angled punches from both sides.”

Discussing his strategy with the same publication, Paul revealed: “Just boxing on the outside and then using my footwork to be more agile, get him chasing me and then attack me when he’s out of position. This should frustrate him.”

At a recent press conference, when asked about his reasons for fighting Tyson, Paul replied: “Making history. That’s what I mean, man. I’m a kid from Ohio. They never give me credit. That’s how it is. If I walked on water, they would say it was because I couldn’t swim. People think I’m going to get knocked out by this mighty, powerful guy.

Paul added further, directly confronting the doubters: “All the people in my comments are saying, ‘look at his power. He’s about to be knocked out.” Fighting someone as fierce as Mike required risk. This is what art is all about.

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