Luis Nery moved closer to another world title fight when defeating Azat Hovhannisyan in a spectacular main event at Fox Theater.
The tough Mexican and the hardened Armenian saw their styles gel. What ensued was a battle worthy of the latter’s nickname.
Golden Boy Promotions squarely delivered on its promise to gift fans with a Fight of the Year candidate.
It was an all-out brawl between “Pantera” – a former WBC champion in two divisions and the US-based European known as “Crazy A.”
The pair kept fans on their feet, bellowing a chorus of cheers in support and joining promoter Oscar De La Hoya as the two went to war.
The WBC super bantamweight title eliminator was scheduled for twelve rounds. However, Hovhannisyan had run out of steam and was taking too many punches after slugging it out with Nery throughout. The 34-year-old had hit the canvas in the previous round.
Referee Ray Corona had to stop the fight at 1:51 in round eleven.
Luis Nery
Nery, who had his arm raised and earned every dollar earned, was relieved to get the win.
“I knew this was going to be a very difficult fight. Azat is a very tough fighter,” he said. “We gave the fans an incredible show.”
On what’s next for him, Nery stated the unified titles were on his mind as soon as the final bell sounded.
“I want the winner between Naoya Inoue and Stephen Fulton. I feel ready for a world championship.”
Hovhannisyan has raised his stock despite his advancing year. However, in the end, he was spent. It’s hard to tell just how much he would have left moving forward after a great battle.
“We are disappointed in this outcome, but that’s boxing,” said Azat Hovhannisyan. “There was a lot of back-and-forth action. We did all we could,” stated the former bantamweight world title challenger.
With the win, Nery of Tijuana, Mexico, improves to 34-1, with 26 KOs. Hovhannisyan, based out of LA, is now 21-4, with 17 KOs.
Nery vs Hovhannisyan
The event, presented in association with Zanfer Boxing, took place in Pomona and was broadcast exclusively worldwide on DAZN.
Special VIP guests of the night included Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Partner Bernard Hopkins, and the Mayor of Pomona Tim Sandoval.
Former seven-time world champion and Hall of Famer “Sugar” Shane Mosley was there to cheer on his son, who featured on the undercard.
Plus, Saved by the Bell Actor Mario Lopez and Golden Boy fighters, including “Zurdo” Ramirez, “Scrappy” Ramirez, Alexis Rocha, Jousce Gonzalez, Yokasta Valle, and more, sat at ringside.
One famous face also in attendance was three-division world champion Vasily Lomachenko, who is expected to fight Devin Haney at lightweight next.
