Nery to rematch Yamanaka on March 1

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Luis Nery will defend his Bantamweight title against Shinsuke Yamanaka on March 1st in Japan.

On Aug. 15, in Kyoto, Japan, Nery stopped Yamanaka in the fourth round to win the 118-pound world title. However, Nery (25-0, 19 KOs), a 23-year-old southpaw from Mexico, failed a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association-administered drug test as part of the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program.

“I’ll regain my belt from Nery with my utmost motivation and dedication,” Yamanaka said in interpreted comments at the news conference. “This time I’m a challenger and will win back the WBC belt.”

“If I had been effectively knocked out by Luis Nery, with me falling to the canvas, I could have hung my gloves forever, but the result of my defeat in that way does not convince me,” Yamanaka said. “I went into the ring in excellent physical condition. I can not be satisfied with the outcome of that night. I cannot find the reason because I have lost, but I can not think about finishing my career in this way, with a defeat that does not convince me. I am not finished yet. My determination to return to boxing is great, and that is why I will do everything in my power to recover the green-and-gold belt.”