Boxing

5 Takeaways From The Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas Card

Naoya Inoue wasn't the only fighter to deliver an impressive performance on Sunday night.
Nathaniel Marrero|
Naoya Inoue throws a right hand against Ramon Cardenas
Naoya Inoue throws a right hand against Ramon Cardenas | Mikey Williams/Top Rank

The boxing world set its eyes on Top Rank and Naoya Inoue on Sunday, hoping they could come through after two disappointing nights on what was once hyped as one of boxing's most stacked weekends of fights in recent memory.

They delivered and then some.

Inoue, one of boxing's top pound-for-pound fighters, engaged in a back-and-forth war with Ramon Cardenas, overcoming a second-round knockdown to win by eighth-round stoppage at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. With the win, Inoue remains the undisputed junior featherweight champion and can now set his sights on a fight with interim WBA junior featherweight champion Murodjan Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs) in September.

Rafael Espinoza's all-action style was on display as he broke down a game Edward Vazquez en route to earning a 7th-round stoppage. A pair of rising contenders and an ascending prospect also delivered, as Rohan Polanco, Emiliano Vargas & Mikito Nakano each earned impressive victories.

After the Times Square Card and Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull disappointed, Inoue vs Cardenas and Espinoza vs Vazquez were a much-needed breath of fresh air after what transpired the previous two days between the Times Square Card on Friday and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs William Scull on Saturday.

Here are five takeaways from the stellar Inoue vs Cardenas card.

Naoya Inoue showed his greatness again

The mark of a true champion isn't just in how they perform when things are going well. It's about how they respond when adversity strikes.

Adversity hit Inoue right on the chin when he was dropped at the tail end of the second round against Cardenas by a huge left hook. It marked just the second time Inoue had been knocked down in his career, and he found himself at a crossroads of whether to stick and move to try and survive or go right back at Cardenas to try and take back control of the fight.

Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) got off the canvas and took it to Cardenas, eventually breaking him down with big shots and dropping him in the 7th round before stopping early in the 8th. Inoue proved his greatness and then some, as he walked right back into the fire and went back-and-forth with Cardenas before getting the stoppage victory.

“By watching tonight’s fight, everyone is well aware that I like to brawl," Inoue said after the fight. "I was very surprised [at the knockdown], but I took things calmly and put myself together.”

Inoue being dropped for the second time in four fights doesn't come without question marks, though. Luis Nery also dropped Inoue with a big left hand before the undisputed champion came back to stop him in the 6th round on May 6, 2024, in Japan. Should a bout with fellow pound-for-pound talent from Japan, WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani, come to fruition in 2026, Inoue will have to need to address that.

And with Inoue at 32 years old, it's not far-fetched to question when he's starting to slow down just a smidge. Still, even if Inoue is starting to slowly exit his prime and he begins to find himself in more back-and-forth fights, he showed again he's built for those kinds of moments as well.

Ramon Cardenas proved he belongs

Cardenas entered the bout as a significant underdog, and it felt like it was meant for Inoue to just add another title defense to his resume as he moves toward a potential super fight vs. Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) in 2026.

That message clearly wasn't relayed to Cardenas.

Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs) wasn't there to run around and collect a check. He went for broke and nearly pulled off the upset of the century against Inoue. Even in rounds when Cardenas was losing, he was giving as good as he got and forced Inoue to dig deeper than he arguably ever has outside of his first fight vs. Nonito Donaire on Nov. 7, 2019.

“I never cared about losses," Cardenas said after the fight. "It’s about the best fighting the best...I dreamed about fighting in front of thousands of people in Las Vegas. So I came to give everything.”

Because of how he held his own, Cardenas shouldn't be far off from earning another big fight, whether it's at bantamweight or junior featherweight. And if he finds himself in another title shot in the near future, few people, if anyone, should bat an eye.

Rafael Espinoza shines again

In a stacked featherweight division, Espinoza may be the best of them all at 126 pounds.

Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) delivered another dominant showing against a game Vazquez before stopping him in the 7th round to retain his WBO featherweight title.

Espinoza, who is a towering featherweight at 6-foot-1, used his volume punching and ability to land power shots, particularly his uppercuts and left hook to the body, to eventually break Vazquez down before referee Harvey Dock stepped in. Espinoza also showed some layers to his game, fighting more off the back foot early in the fight before picking up the pressure as Vazquez began to wear down and show the effects of Espinoza's power shots.

Now, one would hope this could position Espinoza for another big fight. A unification bout against any of the fellow champions, Angelo Leo (IBF), Nick Ball (WBA) or Stephen Fulton would be must-see TV. Or Espinoza could face the No. 1 contender for his WBO title, Bruce Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs), which could be just as big as a unification bout.

One could make a compelling case that Espinoza vs Carrington is one of, if not the best fight that can be made for both fighters. And with both fighters being affiliated with Top Rank, it makes plenty of sense for them to be standing across from each other the next time they step into the ring.

Rohan Polanco, Emiliano Vargas & Mikito Nakano look the part

It wasn't all about Inoue and Espinoza on Sunday night.

Polanco, Nakano and Vargas all took meaningful steps forward in their career with wins in undercard bouts in Las Vegas.

Polanco (16-0, 10 KOs) retained his WBO Intercontinental welterweight title, winning every round on all three judges' scorecards in a unanimous decision victory over Fabian Maidana. Polanco, who is ranked No. 10 by the WBO and No. 15 by the WBC, fought a very mature fight, taking what Maidana gave him and heavily investing in the body. Polanco's work downstairs paid dividends in the 10th and final round when he dropped Maidana (24-4, 18 KOs) with a right hand to the body.

Nakano's U.S. debut could have gone any better, as the Japanese southpaw dropped Pedro Media five times before stopping him in the 4th round. Nakano looked dynamic and similar to Polanco, showing an advanced approach, breaking Marquez down to the body before Dock stepped in after the fifth and final knockdown to stop the fight.

Nakano (13-0, 12 KOs) has won eight straight fights by stoppage. He's ranked No. 8 by the IBF, No. 10 by the WBA and WBC and No. 11 by the WBO. In a loaded 126-pound division, Nakano may not be far off from being in the discussion with the top guys at featherweight with another impressive win or two.

Vargas, who is the son of former multiple-time champion Fernando Vargas, continued to look the part of a future star, dropping Juan Leon twice in the 2nd round before the fight was stopped. After dropping Leon the first time with a straight right hand, Vargas quickly pounced on him and ended the fight with a huge left uppercut.

Vargas (14-0, 12 KOs) still has some things to clean up, like his tendency to drop his left hand when he feints, but at just 20 years old, he's skilled beyond his years. If he can continue to look as impressive as he did on Sunday as the level of competition rises, he'll be in the Prospect of the Year discussion and could enter the title picture at 140 pounds at some point in 2026.

Top Rank saved disappointing weekend of boxing

The card with the least glitz and glamor turned out to easily be the best one of the weekend.

There was more action on Top Rank's card than what took place on Friday and Saturday combined. Alvarez vs. Scull set the record for fewest combined punches thrown in a 12-round fight on Saturday in CompuBox's 40-year history, while on Friday, Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez landed and No. 4 on the list and Rolly Romero vs Ryan Garcia was No. 3.

Each fight on Top Rank's card served its purpose and the icing on the cake was the all-out war between Inoue and Cardenas. Top Rank clearly won the weekend and exits the weekend with more momentum than it entered with because of it

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero

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