Inoue Shines in Las Vegas Return, Espinoza Ignites Cinco de Mayo with Spectacular Defense

After nearly four years away from the U.S., Naoya "The Monster" Inoue made a thunderous return to American soil, defending his undisputed junior featherweight crown with an eighth-round TKO of a gritty Ramon Cardenas on Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) was tested early. A sharp counter left hook from Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs) dropped the Japanese superstar in the second round—a rare moment of vulnerability. But Inoue responded with poise, gradually reclaiming control through precision and patience.

By the middle rounds, Inoue had solved the puzzle. His clean counters began slicing through Cardenas’ guard, forcing the challenger to shell up. In round seven, Cardenas surged with a brief flurry, but Inoue weathered it, then turned the tide with a right hand that stunned him, followed by a pair of right hands that sent him to the canvas. A final barrage in the eighth prompted referee Thomas Taylor to wave it off at 0:45.

“I like to brawl. I was surprised by the knockdown, but I stayed calm,” Inoue said post-fight. “From the second round on, I adjusted. I made sure not to get caught like that again.”

A proud Cardenas held his head high in defeat: “I came to give everything. I told my trainer, if I’m going out, I’m going out on my shield.”

Espinoza Dominates on Cinco de Mayo Weekend

Mexico’s Rafael Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) delivered a fan-friendly firefight in his WBO featherweight title defense, stopping Edward Vazquez (17-3, 4 KOs) in the seventh round to kick off Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

Espinoza controlled the early going with his jab and movement, but willingly traded inside in rounds three and four. By the fifth, Vazquez was wilting under a sustained body assault. A relentless combination flurry in round seven forced the referee to intervene at 1:17.

“This is the kind of fight fans love—and I love it too,” Espinoza said. “I fight with my heart, especially on a date this important for Mexican boxing.”

Undercard Highlights

Welterweight: Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (16-0, 10 KOs) cruised past Fabian Maidana (24-4, 18 KOs) in a tactical 10-round decision. Polanco dropped Maidana with a body shot in the final round. Scores: 100-89 (x3).

Junior Welterweight: Emiliano Fernando Vargas (14-0, 12 KOs) lit up the crowd with a second-round KO of Juan Leon (11-3-1, 2 KOs). Vargas dropped Leon twice with sharp counters, ending it with a brutal uppercut at 1:40.

Featherweight: Mikito Nakano (13-0, 12 KOs) overwhelmed Pedro Marquez (16-2, 10 KOs), scoring five knockdowns before a fourth-round stoppage at 1:58.

Junior Middleweight: Art Barrera Jr. (9-0, 7 KOs) outlasted early pressure from Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-2-1, 2 KOs), finding his rhythm in the fifth before forcing a stoppage at 1:15 of round six.

Featherweight: Raeese Aleem (22-1, 12 KOs) boxed his way to a comfortable decision win over Rudy Garcia (13-2-1, 2 KOs). Scores: 98-92, 97-93, 99-91.