LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Unified super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue aims to bolster his bid for pound-for-pound kingpin status in a stateside showcase against once-beaten Ramon Cardenas at the T-Mobile Arena in an ESPN-televised main event on Sunday night. On a weekend in which some of the sport’s top stars will have already stated their case and another has dropped from contention, Inoue is the best bet to stand out spectacularly. Fighters for the eight-bout card weighed-in Saturday morning and then took part in a ceremonial event in the afternoon in one of the studios adjacent to the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) of Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan continues what could become a Fighter of the Year 2025 campaign as he takes on heavy underdog Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas. Inoue made short work of late replacement opponent Ye Joon Kim in January and may fight twice more this calendar year if reported plans come to fruition.
Reports surfaced in recent days that Inoue has already agreed for his next bout, to take place this September in Japan, against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who holds claim to an interim version of the WBA title. When asked how he stays motivated to keep fighting, Inoue offered brief insights.
“My goal is to just get stronger,” said Inoue. “For my final challenge, I want to move up to featherweight. That will be my final challenge,” said Inoue, through interpreter Nobu Ikushima on Saturday.
Cardenas, the IBF #1 ranked 130-pounder, graduated to the national level in 2024, picking up two regional titles, followed by a career-best win over previously unbeaten Bryan Acosta this past February. There may not be any string of opponents one could have that would ready a fighter for the leap in class that Inoue represents, so it goes without saying “The Monster” represents a giant step-up in class for Cardenas. However, the San Antonio fighter does not appear to be in awe of the moment and has said the right things.
“I am excited and ready to get the show on the road,” said Cardenas, fighting for his first world title on Sunday. “It doesn’t get real until tomorrow and I am ready.”
Inoue, defending the WBC/WBA/WBO/IBF 122-pound titles, weighed-in at 121.9-pounds on Saturday, while the challenger Cardenas scaled 121.8.
In the co-feature, budding star Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico will defend his WBO 126-pound title against former 130-pound title challenger Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas in a twelve-round featherweight bout.
Espinoza, who scaled 125.4-pounds on Saturday, became one of the faces of the division over the last year-and-a-half, highlighted by his signature knockout of Robeisy Ramirez in the rematch of his title-winning effort last December.
“It is a dream come true to be here on this Mexican Day and to fight for these beautiful people,” said Espinoza after hitting the scales for the ceremonial weigh-in.
Vazquez, the WBO #10 ranked 126-pounder despite not fighting at that weight class in two years, was last seen at this level giving Joe Cordina all he could handle in an IBF super featherweight title bid that resulted in a majority decision defeat in November of 2023. The challenger weighed-in at 125.6-pounds on Saturday.
WBO #10/WBC #15 ranked welterweight Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic will see action against veteran Fabian Maidana (24-3, 18 KOs) of Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Argentina in a ten-round bout. Polanco hopes to further add to his credentials, while Maidana aims to make good at the same venue he came up short in an interim title bid against Mario Barrios one year ago. Polanco, who risks his regional WBO Inter-Continental title, weighed-in at 146.2-pounds on Saturday, while Maidana made 146 even.
Rising prospect Emiliano Fernando Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas will meet Juan Leon Alvarez (11-2-1, 2 KOs) of Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain by way of Guayaquil, Ecuador in an eight-round bout for the minor NABF Junior light welterweight title. Vargas, who made 138.7-pounds on Saturday, is back after a second-round stoppage of veteran Giovannie Gonzalez in late March. Leon Alvarez, who scaled 139.9-pounds, has built up his record against modest opposition, mainly in Spain.
Mikito Nakano (12-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas, by way of Hiroshima, Japan will take on Pedro Marquez (16-1, 10 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a ten-round featherweight bout. Nakano, the IBF #8/WBC #10/WBA #10/WBO #11 ranked featherweight, made 125.9-pounds on Saturday. Marquez, who weighed-in at 126-pounds, will be taking a major step-up in class on Sunday as he fights out of his native Puerto Rico for the first time in his professional career.
Fighting out of the famed Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, junior middleweight prospect Art Barrera Jr. (8-0, 6 KOs) of Paramount, California will meet Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-1-1, 2 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois in a six-rounder. Barrera, who just saw action and scored a second-round stoppage a month ago, weighed-in at 152.7-pounds. Guerra, who gained fame with a victory over Nico Ali Walsh at Madison Square Garden this past February, weighed-in at 153.7-pounds.
Featherweight contender Ra’eese Aleem (21-1, 12 KOs) of Las Vegas looks to get rolling again against Rudy Garcia (13-1-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California in a ten-round bout. Aleem, now signed to Top Rank after fighting just once a year for the last three years, made 125.6-pounds, while Garcia, who will be shaking off a little rust himself, scaled 125.3-pounds.
Former amateur star Patrick O’Connor of Waldorf, Maryland makes his professional debut against Marcus Smith (2-1, 2 KOs) of Carlisle, Ohio in a four-round cruiserweight bout on Sunday. O’Connor weighed-in 196.1-pounds, while Smith scaled 188 even.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
WBC Super Bantamweight Championship
WBO Super Bantamweight Championship
WBA Super Bantamweight Championship
IBF Super Bantamweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Inoue 121.9
Cardenas 121.8
WBO Featherweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Espinoza 125.4
Vazquez 125.6
WBO Inter-Continental Welterweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Polanco 146.2
Maidana 146
NABF Junior Light Welterweight Championship, 8 Rounds
Vargas 138.7
Leon Alvarez 139.9
Featherweights, 10 Rounds
Nakano 125.9
Marquez 126
Light middleweights, 6 Rounds
Barrera Jr. 152.7
Guerra Jr. 153.7
Featherweights, 10 Rounds
Aleem 125.6
Garcia 125.3
Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
O’Connor 196.1
Smith 188
Tickets for the event, promoted by Top Rank, in association with Ohashi Promotion, Teiken Promotions and Sampson Boxing, are available online at AXS.com
Photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com