Inoue Saves the Weekend in the U.S.: Statistical Breakdown of the Fight with Cardenas

On the night of May 5, Las Vegas, USA, hosted a bout between undisputed super bantamweight world champion (up to 55.3 kg), Japan’s Naoya Inoue (30–0, 27 KOs), and Mexican-American Ramon Cardenas (26–2, 14 KOs).

In the second round, Inoue unexpectedly found himself on the canvas after taking a left hook from Cardenas. The Japanese fighter quickly recovered, and in round 7 it was Ramon who went down. In round 8, the undisputed champion swarmed his opponent with punches, prompting the referee to step in — TKO 8.

The undisputed champ completely controlled the fight, losing focus only once

Naoya Inoue reaffirmed his status as undisputed champion, showing clear superiority over Ramon Cardenas in nearly every statistical category. The Japanese fighter landed far more punches (176 vs. 80) with greater accuracy — 38.1% to 27.6%.

Inoue’s power punches were especially impressive: he landed nearly half of them (49.1% vs. 34.1%) and more than doubled his opponent in total power shots landed — 108 vs. 45. He also held the edge in jabs, both in volume (242 vs. 118) and efficiency (28.1% vs. 22.2%).

Inoue clearly controlled the flow of the bout, landing more than twice as many head shots (143 vs. 65) and body shots (33 vs. 15). His most accurate round was the sixth (53.3%), while his least accurate was the second (just 21.6%) — the same round in which he was knocked down for only the second time in his career. Interestingly, that round was also Cardenas’s best — he posted his highest accuracy there (32.6%).

After that, however, Inoue took full control: in round 7 he dropped Ramon, and in the next round he finished the job with a flurry that forced the referee to stop the fight.

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas – Fight Stats

Total punches (thrown/landed): 462/176 vs. 290/80

Average punches per round (thrown/landed): 57.8/22 vs. 36.3/10

Overall punch accuracy: 38.1% vs. 27.6%

Jabs (thrown/landed): 242/68 vs. 158/35

Jab accuracy: 28.1% vs. 22.2%

Power punches (thrown/landed): 220/108 vs. 132/45

Power punch accuracy: 49.1% vs. 34.1%

Head shots: 143 vs. 65

Body shots: 33 vs. 15

Best round by accuracy: Round 6 (53.3%) vs. Round 2 (32.6%)

Worst round by accuracy: Round 2 (21.6%) vs. Round 1 (19.2%)

More detailed fight stats available via the link.