Japan’s Naoya Inoue climbed off the canvas to retain his standing as undisputed super-bantamweight world champion with an eighth-round stoppage of American Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas.
After being knocked down for simply the second time in his profession, within the second spherical, Inoue recovered and unleashed a barrage of punches in the beginning of the eighth earlier than referee Thomas Taylor stepped in to finish the combat.
Inoue’s report now stands at 30-0 as he marked his first combat outdoors Japan since 2021 along with his twenty seventh knockout victory.
“Everyone is conscious I wish to brawl,” Inoue stated.
There was shock late within the second spherical when Inoue was dropped by a left hook from overwhelming underdog Cardenas however he picked himself up, made it to the bell and composed himself.
“I used to be very shocked however I used to be capable of calmly pull myself collectively,” Inoue added by a translator.
“Within the first spherical I believed I had fairly good way however within the second spherical it type of received just a little free. From thereafter I made positive I did not take that punch once more.”
Inoue went on the assault however Cardenas refused to again down down and the pair slugged it out in a bruising fourth spherical.
Ultimately, Inoue’s energy proved an excessive amount of and a brutal shot to the physique damage Cardenas earlier than 4 proper fingers to the top earned the champion a knockdown on the finish of spherical seven.
He went in to complete the job in the beginning of the eighth and despatched Cardenas staggering into the ropes with one other punishing proper earlier than the referee stepped in.
On the undercard, Mexico’s unbeaten Rafael Espinosa improved to 27-0 with a seventh-round stoppage of American Edward Vazquez.
“I do know a combat towards Naoya Inoue would catapult me into stardom,” stated Espinosa after defending his WBO title within the barely heavier featherweight division.
