On May 4 (May 5 Japan time), the main event of the Top Rank card was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It featured the undisputed super bantamweight world title match, where champion Naoya Inoue (Ohashi Gym), with an undefeated record of 29 wins (26 KOs), defended his title against WBA No. 1, IBF No. 8, and WBO No. 10 contender Ramon Cardenas (USA), who entered the bout with a record of 25 wins (14 KOs) and 1 loss.
Ramon Cardenas is co-promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz, who has managed fighters such as Sergio Martinez (Argentina) and Kiko Martinez (Spain), and currently promotes the Fundora siblings — Sebastian and Gabriela.
Inoue started the fight with light combinations, as if to intimidate Cardenas.
Inoue fired sharp jabs and followed up with a powerful right straight.
Cardenas responded with body shots and landed a right straight. Inoue, unusually, suffered a nosebleed, but his momentum remained unchanged as he continued pressing the attack. Toward the end of the second round, as Inoue closed the distance and missed with a left hook, Cardenas countered with a sharp left hook from a low stance.
Inoue was knocked down, landing on his backside. In a shocking turn of events, promoter Lewkowicz instinctively raised his arms in celebration.
Having suffered the second knockdown of his career, Inoue calmly listened to referee Thomas Taylor’s (California, USA) eight count with a composed expression.
Inoue showed no signs of damage and resumed his offensive from the third round.
Inoue used a strong jab as his foundation, breaking down Cardenas with right straights and left shots to the body.
Cardenas kept his guard high and braced himself against Inoue’s powerful punches, looking to counter with heavy left and right hooks after Inoue’s attacks. However, Inoue didn’t repeat the mistake from the second round — he stayed alert and skillfully evaded the counters.
Inoue landed jabs, right straights, and followed up with left shots to the body, halting Cardenas’s movement. Cardenas resisted by keeping his guard tight and swinging powerful left and right hooks, but he couldn’t avoid Inoue’s relentless attacks and began to take more and more punishment. By the sixth round, he was nearly knocked down.
In the 7th round, Inoue’s relentless offense continued, leaving Cardenas visibly worn down. Still, summoning his last bit of strength, Cardenas threw a powerful left hook that pushed Inoue back. However, Inoue quickly adjusted his position and resumed his attack.
He landed a left hook on Cardenas as he retreated from a right straight, then followed up with two, three more right hands. Cardenas, who had shown remarkable resilience until then, finally collapsed to the canvas from his waist.
Cardenas managed to get back on his feet and survive the 7th round, but the accumulated damage was significant. Still, there was no sign of giving up on his face — his determination to win remained strong.
In the 8th round, Inoue showed no mercy as he closed in on Cardenas, looking for the finish and landing a powerful right straight.
Then, breaking through Cardenas’s guard, Inoue landed a powerful right uppercut.
With Cardenas trapped in the corner, Inoue unleashed a relentless flurry of punches without mercy.
Cardenas tightened his guard and moved his upper body up and down in a desperate attempt to defend himself. However, Inoue’s relentless barrage of punches did not stop.
At 45 seconds into the 8th round, referee Taylor finally stopped the fight.
After the fight, Cardenas protested, saying, “I could have kept going,” but offered no rebuttal to referee Taylor, who stated, “It’s my responsibility to make sure the fighter leaves the ring safely.”
Despite the loss, Cardenas’s performance raised his stock, and it appears he may soon receive another big opportunity. Promoter Lewkowicz revealed, “Mr. Honda from Teiken Promotions has contacted me, saying he wants to see Cardenas fight in Japan.” Plans are now being considered for Cardenas to appear in a Japanese ring after taking sufficient rest.
After winning the hard-fought battle, Inoue said, “I think everyone now understands that I enjoy trading punches — it was a lot of fun.” Reflecting on the fight, he added, “I was surprised by the knockdown myself, but I was able to regroup and rebuild from there.” He also expressed humility, saying, “My opponent was desperately trying to knock me out. This fight reminded me that boxing is not an easy sport.”
After seven rounds, all three judges — Max De Luca (New York), David Sutherland (Oklahoma), and Steve Weisfeld (New Jersey) — had identical scores of 68-63. Aside from the knockdown in the second round, Inoue had not lost any other points.
Naoya Inoue’s next fight has been confirmed for September 14 against WBA interim super bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev (Uzbekistan), who holds a record of 13 wins (10 KOs) and 1 loss. Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn reported that the contract has been finalized. While the bout is expected to take place in Tokyo, there are also reports suggesting it may be held at the newly opening IG Arena in Nagoya this July, which can hold up to approximately 17,000 spectators.
While Inoue’s bout headlined the Cinco de Mayo weekend, the three fights held earlier in New York were criticized for lacking action and excitement. Additionally, the highly anticipated showdown in Saudi Arabia between Canelo Álvarez — the highest-paid boxer in the world — and Jaime Munguia ended up being disjointed, overly cautious, and low in volume, with Canelo’s post-fight shout of “¡Viva México!” sounding hollow.
After two frustrating days of underwhelming fights, Inoue’s fearless performance — relentlessly pressing for a knockout — has been widely praised by fans and experts around the world as “undoubtedly the best fight” of the weekend. Expectations are now high for the upcoming clash with Akhmadaliev.
The whole world is trying to figure out how to beat Naoya Inoue — but he proved to be even stronger than any of those strategies!
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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