Naoya Inoue wants to shine in his US comeback in Las Vegas on May 4 – he will defend his titles against Ramon Cardenas on the traditional Cinco de Mayo weekend.
For Naoya Inoue, May 4 not only marks the beginning of a new sporting chapter – it is also the symbolic starting signal for his next global mission. The Japanese superstar returns to the big stage in the USA on the traditional Cinco de Mayo weekend. At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the undisputed world super bantamweight champion will defend his titles against Texan Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 14 knockouts). “I know what this weekend means,” Inoue said at a public workout in Los Angeles. “It’s legendary. For me to be here in the main event, it makes me proud.”
The mega-weekend, which will see Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez fight in New York on May 2 and Canelo Alvarez in Saudi Arabia on May 3, also marks the start of a challenging year for Inoue (29-0, 26 knockouts). In September, he is due to face former world champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev in Saudi Arabia, while the Japanese “Superfight” against Junto Nakatani awaits in December. “I don’t know whether the fight will get me back to number one in the pound-for-pound rankings,” said Inoue. “But with September, December and next year – that could be enough.”
Criticism of opponent selection: Top Rank jumps to the side
Not everyone is enthusiastic about Inoue’s current opponent Cardenas. After the injury-related withdrawals against Sam Goodman and the last-minute replacement opponent Ye Joon Kim, “The Monster” was accused of boxing too “easy” opponents. Todd DuBoef, President of Top Rank, defended his star: “That’s unfair. You can’t just look at the last few fights in isolation and forget about Fulton,” he said, alluding to Inoue’s outstanding victory in 2023 against the then WBC champion. “Inoue doesn’t avoid anyone. He reminds me of Lomachenko – he always says: I’ll take anyone.”
Although Inoue has only boxed three times in the USA so far, Top Rank sees great potential in the American market. “He’s one of the most exciting fighters in the world – with speed, punching power and huge international hype,” says DuBoef. Inoue himself would love to fight at Madison Square Garden one day – or even at Dodger Stadium with Shohei Ohtani in the audience. “It’s very important for me to box in the USA,” said Inoue. “I want to fulfill the expectations.”
Text by Robin Josten