Japan’s Naoya “The Monster” Inoue faced a dramatic challenge from Ramon “Dinamita” Cardenas on May 4, 202, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, defending his undisputed junior featherweight crown in a fight that had fans on the edge of their seats
Inoue, now 30-0 with 27 knockouts, survived a rare early knockdown before regaining control and stopping Cardenas by technical knockout in the eighth round. The bout marked Inoue’s first U.S. appearance since 2021 and reinforced his status as one of boxing’s pound-for-pound elites, having already achieved undisputed status in both bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions
Cardenas, 2, entered the ring riding a 14-fight win streak and gave Inoue his toughest test in recent memory Despite the early drama, Inoue’s power and precision proved decisive as he retained his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring titles.
The undercard featured a strong lineup, but all eyes were on the featherweight main event. Inoue’s next move remains one of boxing’s biggest questions-will he stay at 122 pounds or chase glory in a fourth weight class?
For fans and analysts, this fight delivered suspense, skill, and another chapter in Inoue’s remarkable record.
