Luis Nery stepped on the scales three pounds overweight in Japan this week. The surprising part wasn’t the weight miss itself, but the fact the fight was still allowed to continue.
For Nery, the latest controversy marked the fourth time he has failed to make weight as a professional boxer.
He’s a serial offender whose lifetime ban from Japan was eventually lifted.
Four Weight Misses
In 2018, the Mexican arrived five pounds over the bantamweight limit for his rematch with Shinsuke Yamanaka. He was stripped of the WBC title before the fight even began and later received a lifetime ban from the Japan Boxing Commission.
That punishment was eventually lifted to allow Nery to challenge Naoya Inoue in an undisputed title fight in 2024. However, the problems did not end there.
In July 2019, Nery initially came in half a pound overweight before eventually making the limit during an extension period.
Four months later, he weighed one pound over for a bantamweight title eliminator against Emmanuel Rodriguez. Rodriguez refused a financial agreement to proceed and the fight was cancelled altogether.
Now, seven years after losing his world title on the scales, Nery has done it again.
The former world champion weighed 127.5 pounds for his contracted 124-pound clash with John Riel Casimero and only managed to reduce that figure to 127 pounds during the allotted extension.
Despite missing by three pounds, the fight will still go ahead under a strict fight-day rehydration clause.
Disbelief at the Scales
Four misses across seven years leave little room for excuses.
The JBC previously took the extraordinary step of banning Nery for life. Another weight controversy is unlikely to improve his standing with Japanese officials.
Even promoter Koki Kameda appeared unable to hide his disbelief as Nery stood on the scales.
For many observers, the real surprise was not that Nery missed weight again. It was that the fight survived another controversy.
Casimero Controversy
The irony is that Nery is not the only fighter bringing baggage into the contest.
Casimero was suspended by the Japan Boxing Commission in 2024 after failing to make weight for a fight against Saul Sanchez and appearing to interfere with the scales during the weigh-in process.
He also found himself under investigation last year when the Games and Amusements Board examined fight-fixing allegations following his defeat to Kyonosuke Kameda in Kyrgyzstan.
The probe was sparked by comments made by Casimero’s brother and trainer Jason Casimero, who appeared to suggest the result was part of a bigger plan to revive the Filipino’s career.
GAB later ordered both men to attend a hearing as officials reviewed the allegations.
Fight Goes Ahead
The fight was already under scrutiny because of the allegations that followed Casimero’s defeat to Kyonosuke Kameda.
Nery’s latest weight miss only adds to the chaos.
Casimero, by contrast, came in at 123.5 pounds and comfortably inside the agreed limit.
One fighter brings a history of missed weights, title losses and a lifetime ban. The other enters the ring after a suspension, a fight-fixing inquiry and years of career turbulence.
Yet despite everything, the fight still goes ahead.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
