Undefeated super bantamweight Luis “Pantera” Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) scored a twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Aaron Alameda (25-1, 13 KOs) to claim the vacant WBC super bantamweight title on Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. Nery looked more tactical and patient under new trainer Eddy Reynoso. Scores were 115-113, 116-112, 118-110 for Nery, whose 11 fight KO streak ends.
Nery stated,“Alameda has a nice jab, he definitely connected, but I always felt like I had the fight under control. His defense was good, but at the end I really tightened up my attack and was able to get the victory.
“We know he had a lot of experience as an amateur, so we prepared for a quality opponent. It’s not an excuse, but I haven’t fought in a year, so I think that affected my performance a little.
“I got the victory because I landed more. You always look for the knockout, but he used the jab a lot and that threw me off a little bit until I was able to connect more at the end of the fight.
“There are a lot of good fighters in this division. Brandon Figueroa’s name has come up, but we’ll check with the team and go from there. We’re ready to fight anyone at 122-pounds. We don’t fear anybody.”
From what I gathered, Alameda never tasted the canvas as a professional fighter. If this is true, then Alameda may wake up having deep regrets for not going ALL OUT during the second half of the fight. Alameda needed a mean F-U streak, but it’s probably not his boxing nature.
Nery’s vaunted power never made an appearance in this fight. Alameda fought well, clearly lost the decision, but was never hurt in the fight. He had a good jab and used it well, but Nery was just a little busier than he was.
In watching Nery punch, I conclude that Naoya Inoue’s shots appear to be much harder. His punches actually accelerate before they hit the target. He punches through opponents and not at them.
I don’t suppose the two would actually meet in the ring. Nery looked like a legitimate super bantam while Inoue’s small frame seems best suited for the super flyweight division.
It was a great victory for Nery, but I did expect more from him based on all the pre-fight hype.
I still think Nery doesn’t have much of a problem with Figueroa should that be their next step, but I don’t think he’ll enjoy the same success at 122 that he did at the lower weights. When Rey Vargas heals up and maybe gets a tuneup, I think he takes his belt back from Nery.