Nery ends Yamanaka’s long reign, scores fourth-round TKO

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

Aug

The long title reign of Shinsuke Yamanaka is over.

Luis Nery maintained his unbeaten record with a fourth-round technical knockout of Yamanaka to win THE RING and WBC bantamweight titles Tuesday at Shimazu Arena in Kyoto, Japan. There were no knockdowns but Nery (24-0, 18 knockouts) was all over Yamanaka (27-1-2, 19 KOs) from the opening bell, landing repeatedly with his overhand lefts while taking the straighter lefts from the Japanese champion well.

Yamanaka’s nearly 6-year reign came to an end with his back against the ropes as his corner entered the ring to spare the 34-year-old unnecessary punishment.

Luis Nery shocks Shinsuke Yamanaka by fourth round TKO in Japan #boxing pic.twitter.com/LHz9Rgbj1Y

— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) August 15, 2017

The loss is the first of his 11-year career after 12 title defenses, leaving the fighter from Konan, Shiga, Japan in tears as he bowed to fans.

Yamanaka had been rated number 10 by THE RING on the pound-for-pound list while Nery was rated number 6 at bantamweight.

Nery, 22, of Tijuana, Mexico has been a pro since 2012 and was fighting for the first time outside of his home country as a professional.

Ryan Songalia is the sports editor of Rappler, a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and a contributor to THE RING magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RyanSongalia.

Photos by Naoki Fukuda:

: Luis Nery. Photo by Naoki Fukuda

: Photo by Naoki Fukuda

: Photo by Naoki Fukuda

: Nery vs. Yamanaka. Photo by Naoki fukuda

: Nery clocks Yamanaka during their first fight. Photo / Naoki Fukuda

: Photo / Naoki Fukuda

: Luis Nery. Photo by Naoki Fukuda

Struggling to locate a copy of THE RING Magazine? Try here or…

You can subscribe to the print and digital editions of THE RING Magazine by clicking the banner or here. You can also order the current issue, which is on newsstands, or back issues from our subscribe page. On the cover this month: Anthony Joshua