Luis Nery should be considered one of the best young fighters in all of boxing after consecutive quick stoppage wins over longtime bantamweight king Shinsuke Yamanaka, but the second win has come with controversy outside of the performance much like the first thanks to the Mexican losing his belt on the scales.
Japanese legend Shinsuke Yamanaka (27-2-2, 19 KOs) was overwhelmed by his younger, superior, and heavier foe right from the beginning. He was dropped from a short inside shot midway through the fifth from Luis Nery (26-0, 20 KOs), but the referee mistakenly ruled it a slip. This annoyed Nery and understandably so, but it probably worked to his advantage as Yamanaka did not have the ten count to get his bearings. Instead, he was tossed right back in with the wolves. La Panterita put him down again immediately.
A huge straight left that looked like a potential fight ender found Yamanaka in the first twenty seconds of the second round. When he rose, he was in such bad shape that a simple jab put him back down. I thought the fight was certainly done there, but Yamanaka was given one more trip to the canvas before the fight was waved off. He looked absolutely distraught laying there after the finish, knowing how his career was ending in tragedy.
The real tragedy here, however, is the repeated failure of Luis Nery to operate within the rules of the sport. Following his first win over Yamanaka, the 23 year old failed a post-fight drug test. The WBC let him off easy by ordering a rematch instead of stripping him. This time he left them no choice when he missed weight by an astonishing five pounds for bantamweight battle. The title is now vacant. Luis Nery should be Mexico’s newest star, but instead he has overshadowed his own excellent and dangerous ringcraft by refusing to be a professional. It is a real shame.
Rysokue Iwasa (25-2, 16 KOs) defended his IBF super bantamweight title over less than deserving Filipino challenger Ernesto Saulong (21-3, 8 KOs) in the co-main event. Despite winning almost every round, it was a pretty listless and unimpressive performance from Iwasa. Saulong just didn’t belong in there and still the Japanese titleholder didn’t do a whole lot with him. He did just enough to win rounds and little more.
