Inoue survives knockdown to stop Cardenas in Las Vegas return
Naoya Inoue survives a knockdown on Sunday night to stop Ramon Cardenas in the eighth round in his Las Vegas return.
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INOUE SURVIVES SECOND-ROUND KNOCKDOWN TO DROP CARDENAS TO RETAIN TITLES
Inoue survives a second-round knockdown to drop Cardenas to retain his undisputed super bantamweight titles.
Furthermore, the 32-year-old four-division champion recovered from the early slip to pound Cardenas in the eighth round before a roaring crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in his US return.
Moreover, Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) delivered to cap an impressive Cinco de Mayo weekend as the Japanese fought in the US for the first time since 2021.
The fighter also known as “The Monster” delivered after several boxing stars also headlined major fights the past few days.
Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia, and Devin Haney also headlined Cinco de Mayo fights on Friday and Saturday but fans were wanting for more.
CARDENAS COUNTER LEFT HOOK SHOOK ‘THE MONSTER’ BEFORE END OF ROUND 2
Cardenas’ counter left hook shook “The Monster” just before the end of the second round.
Moreover, the 29-year-old American challenger got Inoue on shaky legs as a mighty upset was looming.
Furthermore, the Japanese champion used the break before the third round to recover before he retained his impressive form in the later rounds capped by his round eight masterpiece.
“I was very surprised [at the knockdown], but I took things calmly and put myself together,” Inoue said.
“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,” he added.
‘THE MONSTER’ TO PURSUE SEPTEMBER FIGHT AGAINST AKHMADALIEV IN TOKYO
“The Monster” thus remained on course to pursue another dangerous fight in September against Murodjon “M.J” Akhmadaliev.
Furthermore, the undisputed champion is confident the 8,474 fans that mostly cheered for him in Vegas will back him in his return to Japan.
Moreover, Inoue looks to start stronger and dominate at the Tokyo Dome to put away Akhamadaliev as he ponders his options in 2026.
“The Monster” may take another fight in December of early next year before taking on compatriot Junto Nakatani in a mega-fight in Japan.
“He’s (Inoue) pound for pound, one of the greatest fighters on the planet and I just wanted to give the fans a fan fight,” Cardenas said of his opponent.
