On May 4 (May 5 Japan time), at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA, the main event of a Top Rank promotion featured the undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue (Ohashi) — 29 wins, no losses, 26 KOs — defending his titles against WBA No. 1, IBF No. 8, and WBO No. 10 ranked contender Ramon Cardenas (USA), who had a record of 25 wins (14 KOs) and 1 loss.
It was revealed that the gate revenue for this title bout was $4,166,912 (approximately 601 million yen). This marked the first time a Japanese boxer headlined a main event at the T-Mobile Arena — a venue considered sacred ground in the boxing world. The number of paid attendees for Inoue vs. Cardenas was announced to be 8,474.
“I thought more Japanese fans would come from Japan. I’ve heard from the hotel that ‘a considerable number of Japanese fans have arrived,’ but the number wasn’t as high as expected. I don’t know the reason. I don’t want to speculate. But everyone has welcomed Inoue warmly,” said Bob Arum.
There were also some comments suggesting, “If ticket prices had been a bit lower, more people might have attended.” Nevertheless, Inoue’s fight, which closed out the Cinco de Mayo weekend, captivated the hearts of boxing fans and insiders around the world — and that’s simply because “Inoue never plays it safe.”
On May 2 (May 3 Japan time), a Cinco de Mayo boxing event was held in Times Square, New York, featuring a strong lineup including Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando Romero, Devin Haney vs. Jose Carlos Ramirez, and Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr. However, the event ended in disappointment with fights that lacked excitement and failed to move the audience.
Similarly, on May 3 (May 4 Japan time), the undisputed super middleweight title bout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and William Scull, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, also lacked action. Both fighters played it safe, resulting in a painful experience for spectators.
Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh, who promotes the “Riyadh Season” and has a sponsorship deal with Naoya Inoue, hosted both the New York and Riyadh events. He commented, “We no longer want to see fights like Tom and Jerry, where one guy runs around the ring and the other chases. Riyadh Season and The Ring can no longer support such bouts. We want to support fighters who give everything in the ring and fight with heart and pride.”
Following that, it was announced that on September 13 (September 14 Japan time), in Las Vegas, USA, WBC, WBO, IBF & WBA Super World Super Middleweight Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (Mexico) — 63 wins (39 KOs), 2 losses, 2 draws — will defend his titles against Terence Crawford (USA), the undisputed champion in two weight classes and current WBA Super Welterweight and WBO Interim Super Welterweight Champion, who boasts a perfect record of 41 wins (31 KOs). A ranking of fighters most wanted for the undercard of this highly anticipated event has also been released.
Ranked No. 1 on the list is WBC and IBF Bantamweight World Champion “Big Bang” Junto Nakatani (M.T), who holds a perfect record of 31 wins (24 KOs).
Nakatani is widely expected to move up to the super bantamweight division, and a superfight with Naoya Inoue is reportedly being planned for next May at the Tokyo Dome. While his schedule may already be set, if he accepts Minister Turki Alalshikh’s request and appears on the Canelo vs. Crawford undercard, it would undoubtedly boost his global recognition — making the anticipated Inoue vs. Nakatani showdown a truly worldwide blockbuster event.
It is truly a great honor as a Japanese to see Champion Junto Nakatani chosen as the No. 1 fighter that Minister Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia wants to see compete in the Cinco de Mayo event!
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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