Prime Video to Exclusively Livestream Four Major World Title Fights, Including the World Super Bantamweight Title Defense of Unified Four-Division Champion - Naoya Inoue’s Defense Against Luis Esteban Nery Hernández, on Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 8, on May 6

Prime Video announced it will exclusively livestream four major boxing title fights at the eighth installment of Prime Video Presents Live Boxing on May 6, 2024, at the Tokyo Dome. The cards features four-division unified champion Naoya Inoue (Japan) vs. former world two-weight champion Luis Esteban Nery Hernández (Mexico) for Inoue’s four-weight World Super Bantamweight title; WBA World Bantamweight Champion Takuma Inoue (Japan) vs Takumi Ishida (Japan), the designated challenger; Seigo Yuri Akui (Japan) vs. Taku Kuwahara (Japan) for the WBA World Flyweight title match; and Jason Maloney (Australia) vs. Yoshiki Takei (Japan) for the WBO World Bantamweight title. Prime members in Japan will be able to watch Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 8 exclusively at no additional cost to their membership. Prime members enjoy unlimited access to fast, convenient shipping benefits such as express delivery and specific time delivery at no additional charge, as well as a variety of other shopping benefits and entertainment.

Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 8 will livestream the mega event to be held at the 50,000 capacity Tokyo Dome, making it the first boxing match here in 34 years since the World Heavyweight title match between Mike Tyson (USA) and James Douglas (USA), in February 1990. Considered as the ‘Greatest Upset of the Century’ witnessed by 51,600 people in attendance, James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked the world by knocking out ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson in the 10th round of the title fight that recorded the largest attendance in the history of Japanese boxing. Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 8 is expected to break the long-standing record.

The match-up between ‘The Monster’ Naoya Inoue, with a KO rate of over 90%, and the southpaw Nery, nicknamed ‘Pantera’ (panther), is sure to be an explosive duel. The designated WBA match between Takuma Inoue, who has built up his reputation with a convincing 9th round KO win in his first defense of the title, vs. Ishida, who will be making his second title challenge in seven years. Akui vs. Kuwahara is a rematch of a fight that has moved from headlines in Japan to the world stage. And Takei, who is also Inoue’s gym mate, will take on Moloney, who suffered a seventh round KO loss to Inoue four years ago.

“We are pleased that Naoya Inoue, who won a fierce battle with Nonito Donaire almost two years ago on Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 2, will appear again on Prime Video as the second champion in history to unify four organizations in two weight divisions,” said Takashi Kodama, country director of Prime Video Japan. “We are certain Prime members will enjoy watching the great champion in action again. Takuma Inoue’s second title defense after Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 7 against a gritty fighter in Takumi Ishida. Moreover, we have a stacked card that includes the World Flyweight title fight between Seigo Yuri Akui, who won the world title at Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 6 and Taku Kuwahara, the World Bantamweight title challenge between Jason Maloney and Yoshiki Takei, who has a 100% KO streak in eight fights since he switched to boxing. Creating another landmark, the Tokyo Dome will be hosting a boxing event for only the third time in history after the iconic Tyson vs Douglas title fight. We are pleased to showcase such an epoch-making quadruple world title event, and would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the athletes and everyone involved in the boxing industry for putting together this spectacular card, that can be enjoyed live on Prime Video on May 6, the last day of Golden Week.”

“We are honored to have Naoya Inoue’s fights available on Prime Video once again,” said Hideyuki Ohashi, president of Ohashi Gym. “Since Inoue last fought Donaire on Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 2, he has become the unified champion of four organizations in the Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight divisions, Takuma successfully defended his title with a dominant performance earlier this year at Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 7. The Inoue brothers are raring to showcase to the world their dominance in the sport. Hosting Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 8 at the Tokyo Dome, a venue of unprecedented importance and scale, we have put together a very exciting fight card with four major world title fights. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the people involved and all the fans for their support. The fighters are training extremely hard to prepare for an unforgettable fight night in Japanese boxing, one that Prime members and fans worldwide will enjoy and remember for years to come.”

Highlights of Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 8

Will “The Monster” continue to destroy or will the “Panther” bite?

Naoya Inoue is a global athlete who has unified four organization titles over two weight classes and sits atop nearly every Pound-for-Pound ranking. Highly regarded as the perfect fighter, Inoue is a versatile boxer with an incomparable mix of speed, power, technique, stamina, endurance, defense, boxing IQ, and experience that he masterfully uses to outclass opponents, despite being only 30 years of age. Known as a troublemaker, the challenger to Inoue, Luis Esteban Nery Hernández won the WBC World Bantamweight title from Shinsuke Yamanaka in August 2017 but was found to be accused of a doping violation after the fight. In the rematch six months later, which he won by TKO, he was again disqualified for being significantly overweight. Working his way to claim the challenger’s position, Nery has continued his ascend after his sole loss to Brandon Figueroa in his defense of the WBC World Super Bantamweight title in 2021. 

Takuma Inoue prepares to defend his title against a looming threat in Ishida

Takuma Inoue, the WBA World Bantamweight Champion will be defending his title for the second time this year on the same fight card as his older brother, Naoya. Obliterating Gerwin Ancajas (Philippines), whom many considered to be his toughest opponent till date by KO in the 9th round, Takuma is ready for any challenge put in front of him. But Ishida is hungrier than ever and willing to go through Takuma to fulfil his long-cherished dream of a world title.

The stage is set for the Akui vs. Kuwahara rematch, from Japan to the world

An explosive rematch in the making, Seigo Yuri Akui and Taku Kuwahara first exchanged fists in 2021 for the Japanese Flyweight title. Despite a closely fought battle between the two for nine rounds, Akui emerged as the winner by TKO through a powerful right in the 10th round. Akui used this victory as a springboard to challenge for the world title in January of this year, and was crowned the champion after conquering Artem Dalakian (Ukraine), a skilled hard-hitting fighter who had defended his title six times in six years. Meanwhile, Kuwahara, who suffered his first loss against Akui in his ninth professional fight, rebounded eight months later to win five straight including four KOs and a victory over world challenger Giemel Magramo (Philippines) in October 2022 to win the Oriental Pacific Flyweight title. 

Inoue’s gym companion Takei challenges Inoue’s bantamweight title successor, Moloney

Three years after turning to professional boxing, former K-1 champion, Yoshiki Takei, will challenge WBO world Bantamweight champion - Jason Maloney for a top spot in only his ninth fight. Maloney, a talented, seasoned champion who won the title last May, and made his first defense in January of this year. Moloney, along with his twin brother, Andrew, turned pro after a stint as an amateur. His challenge to Inoue for the champion’s titles in 2020 ended in a loss, however, he has continued to win six fights in a row to be considered a serious threat in the bantamweight category. Takei’s experience in different types of martial arts complemented by his signature left-hand makes this fight against Jason Moloney an unmissable match-up.

Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 8 Overview

Launch Date: May 6, 2024 (Monday)

*The order of matches has not yet been determined

• The WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO - 4 World Super Bantamweight Title Match

Naoya Inoue (Japan) vs. Luis Esteban Nery Hernández (Mexico)

• The WBA World Bantamweight Title Match

Takuma Inoue (Japan) vs. Takumi Ishida (Japan)

• The WBA World Flyweight Title Match

　Seigo Yuri Akui (Japan) vs. Taku Kuwahara (Japan)

• The WBO World Bantamweight Title Match

Jason Maloney (Australia) vs. Yoshiki Takei (Japan)

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