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By: Sean Crose
It was the last hope for what had been an abysmal weekend of boxing. After Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and even Canelo Alvarez managed to disappoint fans on Friday and Saturday cards, it was up to undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue and high ranking contender Ramon Cardenas to save what should have been a terrific three days of boxing. At 29-0, Inoue was the clear and rightful favorite. Still, in a weekend that saw Ryan Garcia be bested by Rolly Romero, anything was clearly possible, even for the 26-1 Cardenas.
Inoue’s jab told the story of the first. Cardenas tossed off a solid combo in the first part of the second. Inoue responded with crisp, fast punching throughout the round. Cardenas, however was in it to win it. Sure enough, he sent Inoue crashing to the mat near the end of the round. Inoue beat the count – but he had clearly been rocked. Cardenas went on to tag his man impressively in the the third, though it was Inoue who landed more frequently with jabs and power shots. One thing was becoming surprisingly clear – Cadena’s power had in impact on Inoue.
Inoue fired a blazing combination on Cadenas in the fourth. He then thundered away at the challenger. Both men threw lightening, but Inoue was the slightly more active fighter in the fifth. It was an excellent fight. Inoue nailed Cardenas in the sixths, then pounded him on the ropes. Cardenas, however, got a second wind. Inoue exploded again, nearly ending the fight before the bell. After a round seven that saw each man trading crushing blows, Cardenas was sent to the mat. He beat the count, however, and survived the round.
Inoue bombarded his man again in the eighth – and this time the referee stopped the fight. Cardenas might have been able to survive, but the damage he was receiving was brutal, making the referee’s stoppage completely understandable.
A great fight.
*Images: Top Rank Promotions
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