Luis Esteban "El Pantera" Nery Hernández vs. Sathaporn "NKL" Saart

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Nery, the former WBC bantamweight and super bantamweight champion, made his sophomore outing at featherweight this morning - randomly, on a card taking place in Kyrgyzstan and (seemingly at random as well) put on by Kōki Kameda (who is actually Nery's new promoter). In his featherweight debut this February, he stopped his new patron's young cousin Kyonosuke Kameda - the same kid that just yesterday defeated Filipino three division titlist and sex pest John Riel Casimero.

Funny thing is, this wasn't the main event or even co-main. It was part of the undercard (as was Kenneth Llover vs. Luciano Francisco Baldor, which would have been a reasonable alternative if anything). Mister Kameda instead put a couple of green local Bishkek prospects in the co-headlining slots. Anything to put butts in seats, eh? But what a blow to Nery's pride that must be.

So too did the fight itself deal some damage against the Mexican southpaw's former aura of "scary KO artist". Nery struggled to put his unremarkable Thai opponent away over 7½ rounds, and ultimately begging off when a headbutt provided an excuse to go to scorecards for a guaranteed TD win. At best this can be interpreted as laziness, an easy out in a fight where he was getting a little frustrated and tired - or as @Badbot says, you could outright call it a quit job (as Saart was touching him up more & more in the 7th and 8th before it was halted).

 

The win over Kyonosuke is sure aging well.

 

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