By Norm Frauenheim
Naoya Inoue has heard the criticism, and it looks as if he has answered with news Thursday from rival promoter Eddie Hearn, who announced on social media that he has a “done deal” for Inoue to fight Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Hearn, Akhmadaliev’s promoter, said he had an agreement in a message on X Thursday, a few hours before Inoue’s scheduled arrival at the Las Vegas’ MGM Grand for a fight Sunday against Ramon Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena.
There was no immediate confirmation of the agreement from Inoue, the Japanese star who first has to beat Cardenas before he can move on in his quest for pound-for-pound supremacy.
However, Boxing Scene reported a date and place — Sept. 14 in Tokyo.
Inoue, ripped by Hearn for a string of weak opponents, is expected to beat Cardenas. He’s a massive favorite over the San Antonio junior-featherweight. According to some on-line books, Inoue is a 50-to-1 favorite.
Buster Douglas was a bigger underdog against Mike Tyson in Inoue’s home country in 1990. Douglas, a 42-1 underdog, stopped Tyson, also in Tokyo, in one of the biggest upsets in any sport.
Translation: It happens, which is perhaps one reason to watch Inoue against Cardenas on an ESPN-televised card scheduled to follow the Los Angeles Dodgers — featuring Japan’s biggest star, Shohei Ohtani — against the Atlanta Braves.
Above all, the reported agreement could heighten interest in Inoue-Cardenas in the curtain-closer to a busy Cinco de Mayo triple-header beginning Friday at Times Square in a New York card featuring Ryan Gracia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.
On Saturday, the weekend’s second chapter plays out with Canelo Álvarez against William Scull in Saudi Arabia for the undisputed super-middleweight title.
Scull, a Cuban living in Germany, might have a better chance than Cardenas. But not by much. Canelo is a 30-to-1 favorite, according to books.
For Canelo, the bout versus Scull is thought to be a tune-up for his projected fight against former welterweight great and newly-minted junior-middleweight Terence Crawford.
Canelo-Crawford also is expected to happen in September, although a specific day has not been reported. There’s been no reported site either, although Las Vegas and Los Angeles have been mentioned.
If in fact Canelo-Scull is a tuneup, it won’t be the only one this weekend. Inoue against Cardenas would be the second in Hearn’s announced plan for a showdown with Akhmadaliev, a former undisputed champion at bantamweight.
For Inoue, it’s an intriguing tune-up, a many-sided fight that includes an opportunity for him to deliver another combination. https://theboxinghour.com/2025/04/25/naoya-inoue-back-in-the-usa-with-a-chance-at-the-final-say/
Inoue, who is known for his masterful execution of combos, will have the weekend’s final word and perhaps an opening statement on what happens next.
