“The Monster” Naoya Inoue faces Ramon Cardenas on Sunday, May 4, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The pair battle it out in the main event, with the undisputed super bantamweight title on the line. The contest rounds out three days of world-class boxing action on Cinco De Mayo weekend.
Japan’s 32-year-old four-division champion Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) makes the fourth defense of his title in his first fight in the U.S. in four years. 29-year-old Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs) of San Antonio, TX, challenges for the division’s major title in his first championship showdown. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds.
The 12-round co-feature pits Mexico’s Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) against Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, TX. Unbeaten 31-year-old Espinoza brings his WBO featherweight belt to the ring, making the third defense of his title. Riding a two-fight winning streak, 29-year-old Vazquez makes his second attempt to become champion after dropping a majority decision to Joe Cordina in November 2023.
Among the Inoue vs Cardenas undercard bouts, Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs) of the Dominican Republic takes on Argentina’s Fabian Maidana (24-3, 18 KOs) in a 10-rounder at welterweight. Plus, Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) of Oxnard, CA faces Juan Leon (11-2-1, 2 KOs) of Spain in an eight-rounder at super lightweight.
Additionally, Mikito Nakano (12-0, 11 KOs) of Japan and Pedro Marquez (16-1, 10 KOs) of Puerto Rico square off in a 10-rounder at featherweight. Art Barrera Jr. (9-0, 6 KOs) of Long Beach, CA meets Chicago’s Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-1-1, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder at middleweight.
Another 10-round featherweight matchup features Raeese Aleem (21-1, 12 KOs) of Muskegon, MI up against Rudy Garcia (13-1-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles. Patrick O’Connor of Prince George’s County, MD, makes his pro debut in a four-round cruiserweight swing bout against Tennessee’s Marcus Smith (2-1, 2 KOs).
Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas live blog
Inoue vs Cardenas start time
Inoue vs Cardenas airs live on ESPN+. The start time is 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT, with the prelims starting at 6:15 PM ET / 3:15 PM PT. A VPN service, such as ExpressVPN, might be helpful to stream from a different location.
Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas results
Get Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas full fight card and stay tuned for live results below.
Main card (10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT)
- Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas
- Rafael Espinoza vs. Edward Vazquez
Prelims (6:15 PM ET / 3:15 PM PT)
- Rohan Polanco vs. Fabian Andres Maidana
- Emiliano Vargas vs. Juan Leon
- Mikito Nakano vs. Pedro Marquez
- Art Barrera Jr vs. Juan Carlos Guerra Jr
- Raeese Aleem vs. Rudy Garcia
- Patrick O’Connor vs. Marcus Smith
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