Inoue vs Nery uncontested junior featherweight world title quadruple-header on Monday, May 6 at the Tokyo Dome LIVE on ESPN+ starting at 4 am ET / 1 am PT / 9 am UK
Takuma Inoue defeated Sho Ishida (116-111, 118-109, 118-109)
Takuma Inoue had to hold his own after being knocked down in the first round, but that seemed to take a toll on him. The current bantamweight world champion did well after that quick comeback, dominating the scorecards and picking up another convincing win.
From the second round onwards, Takuma picked up the pace while Ishida lagged behind, unable to get anything of value. Ishida had flashes of skill here and there, but by the time he realized he needed a different plan, Inoue had already banked several rounds.
Although Ishida’s jab remained effective in the fifth round, Inoue’s heavy punches ensured that the judges remained in his favor. The second half of the fight turned into a show of Inoue exploiting every gap on Ishida. Sho seemed content to let Takuma set the pace, looking more like a punching bag than a fighter eager to win.
In the last round, Ishida desperately needed to be hit but he couldn’t even muster the strength for it. The judges didn’t have to think too hard, giving Inoue a clear victory.
Seigo Yuri Akui defeats Taku Kuwahara (117-111, 117-111, 118-110)
In the opening round, Kuwahara went in confidently, but in the second, Akui had pinpointed his point and closed with precision. His left jab cracked like sniper fire, turned into devastating hooks and added a well-aimed right. Kuwahara quickly went from confident to athletic, offering little resistance with basic combinations for two layers, while Akui punished him with vicious lefts and brutal rights.
Round 3 saw Akui come out on top as a relentless fighting machine, striking with precision and delivering solid, effective combinations to the head and body of Kuwahara. His brutal rights left Kuwahara reeling, and in Round 6, Akui was peppering his opponent with a focused right, his right hitting like a well-aimed arrow.
Despite Kuwahara’s feeble efforts to counter the attack, Akui maintained complete control of the battlefield, cutting off any escape routes and unleashing devastating hooks and crushing rights. Round 10 saw Akui land a nasty right that left Kuwahara reeling like a dazed man. With Akui’s relentless pressure and strategic dominance, he secured the victory with scores of 117-111, 117-111, and 118-110.
