Naoya Inoue and Ramon Cardenas squared off in the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 4. The contest featured the four-division world champion from Japan against the contender from San Antonio, TX. Inoue put his undisputed super bantamweight title on the line.
The scheduled 12-round championship bout didn’t go the full distance. After suffering a knockdown from a big left hand in the second round, Inoue returned the favor, dropping Cardenas with a right hand in the seventh round. In the next round, the champion dominated the challenger with a flurry of punches, forcing referee Thomas Taylor to step in and call it a day. The official time of the stoppage was 45 seconds into the eighth round.
With the victory by TKO, Naoya Inoue made the fourth successful defense of his 122-pound title. The 32-year-old marked his first appearance in a U.S. ring in four years and improved to 30-0, with 27 KOs.
“By watching tonight’s fight, everyone is well aware that I like to brawl,” Inoue said. “I was very surprised [by 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.”
“The fans here were supportive and great. And I hope I was able to entertain them.”
Ramon Cardenas fell short in his first attempt to claim a major title in the division. The 29-year-old dropped to 26-2, with 14 KOs, snapping his 14-fight winning streak.
“I never cared about losses. It’s about the best fighting the best,” Cardenas said. “I dreamed about fighting in front of thousands of people in Las Vegas. So I came to give everything.”
“I told my trainer that if I’m going out, then I’m going to go out on my shield. That’s what I did. I’m not sad. But I’m bummed out. It is what it is.”
The Inoue vs Cardenas showdown capped off a big weekend of boxing on Cinco de Mayo weekend.