Luis Nery put behind the pre-fight follies and placed all of his focus on a return to the win column.

It resulted in a systematic beatdown of Osaka's Kyonosuke Kameda, whom Nery stopped in the seventh-round of their ESPN Knockout/ABEMA-TV main event. Kameda was down twice, the latter trip to the canvas which produced the stoppage at 2:23 of the seventh round Saturday evening from Auditorio Municipal in Nery's hometown of Tijuana' Mexico.

Nery, The Ring's No. 4 junior featherweight contender, quickly found a home for his left hand, which he landed in various forms.

Kameda's wide defense left him open for a shot down the middle that rocked him along the ropes midway through the round. Nery landed uppercuts and straight lefts at an alarming rat. His attack was interrupted only when he tripped and fell to the canvas, which referee Edgard Lopez ruled a slip.

Nery continued on the attack, while Kameda struggled to offer a sufficient response. Nery pawed with his jab to set up his power shots, though Kameda was able to better stand his ground in the second and third rounds.

That changed in a big way in the fourth. Kameda was visibly hurt as Nery unloaded his offensive arsenal, to the delight of his hometown crowd. Nery inched his way inside, at times slapping with his jab but otherwise feinted with his shoulder before he clipped Kameda with a series of power shots along the ropes. Kameda offered reactionary right hands in response but was unable to hurt the former titlist.

Kameda offered more movement at the start of the fifth. It forced Nery to work a little harder to close the gap, though it didn't take him very long to get inside and chop down his significantly taller foe.

A late surge had Kameda on wobbly legs in the final 30 seconds of the round. Nery connected with lefts and right hooks but Kameda found just enough space to avoid further damage and make it out of the round.

Time was called at the start of the sixth to examine a growing cut over the right eye of Kameda. Action was permitted to resume, but the development did little to provide a sense of urgency for the visiting boxer.

Kameda largely played defense, though he offered a left hook which missed the mark. Nery connected with a looping left but was warned pushing down on the back of Kameda's head and neck. A barrage of punches had Kameda trapped in a corner leading into the final minute of the round.

A wild right hook by Nery missed the mark, but his forward momentum led to a clash of heads which left Kameda with a second cut—this one over his left eye. Time was called as Kameda winced in pain, before the two were summoned to continue.

Nery offered a more disciplined approach at the start of the seventh, which proved effective in the end.

Kameda was able to manage a straight right hand but was met with a steady stream of jabs. Nery followed up with left hands and a swarm of power punches which sent Kameda into a corner. A digging left to the body set up the bout's first knockdown.

Nery did not let up after Kameda beat the count and was permitted to continue. A body attack was followed by a right hook upstairs, which weakened Kameda at the knees before he slumped to the canvas. The referee intervened, though there was a slight delay before he ultimately waved off the contest.

The win is Nery's first since a July 2023 second-round knockout of Froilan Saludar in Metepec, Mexico.

That bout was his last before a failed bid against The Ring and undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs). Nery (36-2, 28 KOs) became the first fighter to floor Inoue, who rebounded from the opening round knockdown with three of his own in a sixth-round stoppage last May 6 in Tokyo, Japan.

The setback snapped a four-fight win streak for Nery, who entered as Inoue's WBC mandatory challenger. He earned that right with an eleventh-round knockout of Azat Hovhannisyan in their Feb. 2023 thriller, which was lauded as one of the year's best fights.

Saturday's win was right on time, given the buildup to the fight. Nery and Kameda nearly came to blows during the kickoff press conference two weeks ago in Tijuana. Further drama was added on Friday, when Nery needed two tries to make the 124-pound contracted limit.

Kameda (15-4-2, 9 KOs) snapped a nine-fight unbeaten streak with the defeat. His first career fight outside of Japan also resulted in the first stoppage loss his Jan. 2018 pro debut when he was halted inside of two rounds.

Nery now hopes to return to the title stage, though there could be a lengthy wait.

The former Ring/WBC bantamweight champion and WBC 122-pound titlist was the WBC mandatory when he fought Inoue last year. The unbeaten superstar from Japan pretty much has his 2025 mapped out, including a planned return to the U.S.