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Naoya knocked down Luis Nery three times to defend the undisputed super-bantamweight championship after a shock knockdown in the opening round.
Naoya Inoue survived the first knockdown of his career as he floored Luis Nery three times on his way to a devastating stoppage victory at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on Monday.
Nery threatened one of boxing's great upsets when he stunned Inoue with a slick left hook that sent the four-division world champion to the canvas in the opening round.
Inoue responded emphatically with a knockdown of his own in the second, before putting Nery down again in the fifth and eventually finishing off his opponent with a brutal right hand in the sixth.
The victory moves the 31-year-old to a perfect 27-0 in his career as he retained his undisputed super-bantamweight championship.
Inoue was joined in the ring by Sam Goodman after the fight as he agreed to defend his belts against the Australian this September.
Nery had arrived with a less-than glowing reputation among Japanese fans after a controversial past in which he failed a drugs test having defeated Shinsuke Yamanaka - later put down to contaminated food - before missing weight as he emerged victorious again in the rematch.
It appeared as though that reputation might be amplified when he exploited a rare opening in the defence of Inoue to catch the champion with a sharp left counter hook that would leave the pound-for-pound great facing a count for the first time in his career.
Nery resumed his attack upon Inoue returning to his feet, stalking the home favourite into the ring but failing to unearth the decisive shot.
Naoya turned his attention to Nery's body before swerving a front-foot pounce and catching his opponent off-balance with a perfectly-timed left hook to the torso, leaving the Mexican on the floor. All square.
He now plans to defend titles against Australia's Sam Goodman in September.
Lewis Musonye
