Naoya Inoue reveals how many fights he plans to have in 2024
Japanese star Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) looks to continue his elite-level dominance by fighting former world champion Luis Nery (35-1, 27 KOs) on May 6 in the first of a planned three-fight run.
The 30-year-old four-weight champion was The Ring’s 2023 Fighter of the Year after becoming the undisputed super bantamweight champion, beating both Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales in comprehensive fashion.
Now, while wishing to remain active at world level, “The Monster” eyes an opportunity to fly through the divisions, with a move up to featherweight earmarked for next year.
“I’m planning on fighting three times this year. I’m sure these three fights will take place at super bantamweight, probably in May, September and December. When to move up to featherweight will depend on how I and my body feel next year,” he told Ring Magazine.
While the fight against Nery has not been officially announced, multiple media outlets report that it is close to being confirmed and is set to take place in Japan.
Two-weight world champ Nery was involved in a fight-of-the-year contender against Azat Hovhannisyan ‘Crazy A’ back in February 2023, when the pair engaged in an enthralling toe-to-toe war, which came to a head in the 11th round when Nery won via TKO.
While his performance that night was brave and commendable, the 29-year-old Mexican suffered a seventh round stoppage defeat to Brandon Figueroa in May 2021, which saw him concede his WBC world super bantamweight title.
So his first world title fight since then – against Inoue – could be a rude awakening, given Inoue’s destructive presence in the division.
But, while the undisputed “Monster” is reluctant to move up in weight just yet, there are still several fighters who could make for interesting matchups, including the former WBO world bantamweight champion, John Riel Casimero, and former unified super bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev.