Inoue Knocks Out Cardenas After Early Scare

On May 4 in Las Vegas, USA, 32-year-old Japanese undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (30–0, 27 KOs) faced off against 29-year-old American Ramon Cardenas (26–2, 14 KO).

In a dramatic twist, Inoue was knocked down early in the fight — only the second knockdown of his career, and the second time it came at the hands of a Mexican fighter. But the "Monster" roared back.

In Round 7, Inoue dropped Cardenas with a punishing shot. Then, in Round 8, the Japanese star forced the referee to step in, scoring a TKO victory.

Cardenas hadn’t lost since 2017, when he suffered a split decision defeat to Danny Flores. Inoue, meanwhile, has won exclusively by stoppage since 2019.

Detailed fight stats available via the link.