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Andreas Hale
LAS VEGAS — “The Monster” saved what had been an underwhelming boxing weekend. But he had to overcome adversity to do so Sunday night.
Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) recovered from a second-round knockdown and put on a punishing offensive display to stop an incredibly tough Ramon Cardenas (26-2) with an eighth-round TKO to defend his undisputed super bantamweight championship at T-Mobile Arena.
After some of boxing’s biggest names (Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney) failed to impress Friday and Saturday, Inoue, who returned to the United States for the first time since 2021, punctuated a thrilling showdown that featured the Japanese superstar avoiding a disastrous outcome in a memorable performance.
Heading into Sunday night, Inoue proved to be a force in boxing since his professional debut in 2012. He has plowed through four weight classes, becoming one of three undisputed fighters in two divisions in the “four-belt era.” Known for his exceptional punching power, Inoue has been a devastating force, with 90% of his wins coming by knockout. But Cardenas didn’t shrink under the shadow of “The Monster.”
As the heavy-handed Inoue began to increase his activity in the second round, he was hit with a counter left hook by Cardenas that dropped Inoue to the canvas. He was fortunate the knockdown occurred near the end of the round, as he went to his corner on shaky legs. But Inoue regained his composure and went to work, using a stiff jab to set up a body assault that took some steam out of Cardenas’ punches.
“By watching tonight’s fight, everyone is well aware that I like to brawl,” Inoue said. “I was very surprised [at the knockdown], but I took things calmly and put myself together. … In the first round, I felt I had good distance. It got loose in the second round. From then on, I made sure to not take that punch again.”
But Cardenas fought with tremendous heart and rallied whenever it seemed the end might be near. Both fighters’ punches landed with an audible thump that drew a rise from the 8,474 fans inside the arena. Though this was assumed to be an appetizer for Inoue’s scheduled title defense in September against Murodjon “M.J.” Akhmadaliev at the Tokyo Dome, it became a main course.
Inoue was put on notice after the second round and took a more measured approach in the middle rounds, setting up his combinations behind the jab and avoiding the counter left hook. Inoue was too powerful for Cardenas and set the stage for the thrilling conclusion by knocking down his opponent with a trio of right hands at the end of the seventh round and pouncing on his wounded foe at the beginning of the eighth. Cardenas attempted to stay on his feet, but Inoue unleashed a seven-punch combination that forced the stoppage at the 45-second mark.
Although Cardenas’ 14-fight win streak ended, he will leave Las Vegas with a newfound fame courtesy of his gutsy performance against ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter.
“The fight was a tough fight,” Cardenas said. “I said it all camp, I said it all. Every interview. He’s pound for pound, one of the greatest fighters on the planet and I just wanted to give the fans a fan fight.”
Inoue will prepare for his September fight with Akhmadaliev and has teased a potential move to featherweight, where he will attempt to become an undisputed champion in an unprecedented third weight class.
In the co-main event, Rafael Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) used a blistering offensive performance to retain his WBO featherweight title with a seventh-round TKO over Edward Vazquez (17-3).
Espinoza delivered a brutal onslaught from the opening bell, throwing more punches in the first three rounds than Alvarez, Haney and Garcia threw in their respective 12-round fights over the weekend. Vazquez was overmatched and absorbed tremendous punishment before the fight was halted at the 1:47 mark.
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