Naoya Inoue Vs. Ramon Cardenas Results & Full Fight Card Results

On Sunday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 KO) successfully defended his undisputed junior featherweight championship by eighth-round TKO. But it wasn’t easy.

Ramon Cardenas (26-2) did excellently.

He scored a knockdown with a vicious left hook in the second round, and he had a strong game plan to counter the undisputed champion. Unfortunately for the challenger, the champion made an adjustment.

Inoue began delaying his entry just enough to draw out the counter attempt to land his own power shots. It was a beautiful adjustment by a truly special fighter. He’s not an immaculate fighter, as you will have chances to hit him.

However, Inoue is the most consistently entertaining champion in the sport, and he proved it again on Sunday night.

Cardenas deserves credit for pushing an all-time great, but like the 29 before him, he came up short against the Monster.

Here is the round-by-round analysis from Inoue–Cardenas.

Round 7: The Monster has regained sway. He hurt Cardenas with some beautifully placed body shots. Cardenas came back with his own body shots, but Inoue dropped him with a straight hand to give him control of the fight. Inoue, 66-65.

Round 6: What a round. That was great stuff. Joe Tessitore screamed, “This is the way it’s supposed to look,” and he’s right. There were so many exchanges that raised the level of entertainment and brilliance. Inoue won the round with cleaner shots and two key rallies to take the round. Cardenas, 57-56.

Round 5: That round was excellent and close, with both guys doing some solid work. Cardenas has begun to counter more straight, which is getting home. Both men hurt each other with body shots. I’ll lean Cardenas for that round, but it could have gone either way. Cardenas, 48-46.

Round 4: That was a wildly impressive round from Inoue. He has made the adjustment to draw out Cardenas’ counter hooks, and he is subsequently countering the challenger’s attempt to counter. Genius. This is what great boxers do. Inoue won the round with a serious barrage at the end. Really good fight so far. Cardenas, 38-37.

Round 3: Cardenas has the recipe so far. He is landing the more telling shots through three. He is very well prepared, and Inoue is the one who must make the adjustment. The Monster landed a couple of solid 1-2 combinations, but Cardenas’ power shots won him the round. Cardenas, 29-27.

Here is the knockdown.

Round 2: Cardenas just exploded with the left hook that we knew was the available shot. In the final moments of the round, he dropped The Monster with an explosive left hook. Inoue got up, but he felt it in a major way. Cardenas, 19-18.

Round 1: Inoue took control of the first round with a steady jab and good body work. He has such great balance, and Cardenas hasn’t found an entry point. Inoue, 10-9.

Inoue and Cardenas’ ring walks are happening now.

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas is in pre-fight…

• Rafael Espinoza def. Edward Vazquez via 7th-round TKO

Espinoza, at 6’1″, is a legit problem for anyone at featherweight or in the weight region. Vazquez had nothing for him. He lacked the power and length to give the champion anything to be concerned about. The referee made the right decision stopping the fight midway through the seventh frame.

Round 6: Espinoza appeared to have taken his foot off the gas a bit in that round. Vazquez might have even stolen the round on some cards. I’d still lean to Espinoza with the better combinations. Espinoza, 60-54.

Round 5: Vazquez’s corner or referee Harvey Dock should step in soon and stop this fight. Espinoza is destroying him, and there is no point in this going much further. I’d expect Dock or the corner to step in and stop it if we see another flurry. Espinoza, 50-45.

Round 4: Espinoza’s body work has been exquisite. He hurt Vazquez on multiple occasions with body shots in the fourth round. If we see a seventh round, I’ll be surprised. Espinoza, 40-36.

Round 3: This one may not go the distance. After Vazquez landed a couple of solid left hooks early in the round, Espinoza nearly dropped him with a straight right hand to the stomach. He finished the round battering Vazquez, pushing the challenger to the corner just before the bell. Espinoza, 30-27.

Round 2: In the second round, Espinoza worked behind his jab more and maintained control of the fight. Vazquez is going to have to find a consistent entry point to engage. If he doesn’t, he’s going to get picked apart all night. Espinoza, 20-18.

Round 1: Espinoza’s length and his use of the uppercut gave him the advantage in the opening frame. Vazquez seemed to find a way inside in the final 30 seconds, but it wasn’t enough to sway the round. Espinoza, 10-9.

The action will resume at 10 p.m. ET. Jimmy Lennon is in the ring addressing the crowd about the remaining two fights.

We’re in the pre-walkout stage for the co-main event. I will have round-by-round analysis for this one and the main event between Inoue and Cardenas.

Rafael Espinoza vs. Edward Vazquez for Espinoza’s WBO featherweight title is underway…

Rohan Polanco def. Fabian Maidana via unanimous decision (100-89 x3)

Polanco is talented and entertaining.

He has a knack for making slower opponents miss and making them pay with sharp combinations. In this lopsided 10-round affair, he appeared to quickly convince Maidana he had no chance to win this fight. Polanco scored a knockdown with a body shot in the final round. Maidana showed his desire to finish the fight and was seemingly satisfied with making it through the fight. To Polanco’s credit, he went after the finish, but Maidana shelled up in a way that allowed him to survive the final 20 seconds.

It’ll be interesting to see who’s next for Polanco at welterweight. With Teofimo Lopez looking at Jaron “Boots” Ennis, Polanco could look elsewhere.

Polanco is walking to an easy victory here through eight-plus rounds. Maidana is looking to survive but not fighting to win. We’ll move into round-by-round analysis beginning with the co-main event.

• Emiliano Fernando Vargas def. Juan Leon via 2nd-round KO

The second-generation prospect is the truth. The young Vargas has outstanding punching accuracy and undeniable power. Leon was massively overmatched. A 1-2 combination led to a knockdown in the second round. Leon got to his feet but was floored again moments later.

The referee mercifully called the fight off. Vargas improved to 14-0 with 12 KOs, and he’s just 21 years old. Leon dropped to 11-3-1.

• Mikito Nakano def. Pedro Marquez via 4th-round KO

Nakano is a problem. He has unreal punching power. The 29-year-old consistently hurt Marquez with punches through the guard, upstairs and downstairs. Nakano scored five knockdowns before referee Harvey Dock waived off the remainder of the fight following the last knockdown.

Keep an eye out for this featherweight contender. He has championship potential. Nakano came in ranked by all governing bodies, and he could rise after this performance. I wonder if it makes sense for him to challenge Bruce “Shoo Shoo” Carrington down the road as the final hurdle before a matchup with Inoue.

Nakano improved to 13-0 with 12 KOs, and Marquez dropped to 16-2-1.

• Art Barrera Jr. def. Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. via 6th-round TKO

Barrera Jr. simply had too much firepower for Guerra.

The latter was game and tough, and he had his moments, but the body work laid the foundation, and persistent power punches pushed the referee to call an end to the fight in the final frame. Barrera is only 19 years old, but he does need to work on his defense. Guerra landed hard shots a little too frequently early in this fight.

That’s a little concerning at this stage of his career. Barrera improved to 9-0 with 7 KOs, and Guerra dropped to 6-2-1.

• Ra’eese Allem def. Rudy Garcia via unanimous decision (98-92, 97-93, 99-91)

Aleem had to re-establish his status as a legit title contender at featherweight. Garcia came in unranked, but he put up a solid and competitive fight. In the end, the class difference between the two fighters was apparent, and Aleem moved to 22-1 with the win. Garcia dropped to 13-2-1.

Aleem came in ranked No. 7 by the IBF. Garcia is unranked by any of the governing bodies.

• Ra’eese Aleem vs. Rudy Garcia is underway…