Inoue survives knockdown, TKOs Cardenas in 8th round

Naoya Inoue stopped Ramon Cardenas in a thriller to retain the undisputed junior featherweight championship Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The finish came at the 0:45 mark of the eighth round. Inoue dropped Cardenas late in the seventh and then stopped him with a flurry of punches early in the eighth.

Inoue had to overcome a huge moment of adversity to secure his latest title defense. Cardenas floored him with a left hook late in the second round. However, Inoue returned to his feet and made it to the bell.

"The Monster" shook off the cobwebs and turned up the heat in the fourth, landing power punches in the pocket to Cardenas' head and body. And Inoue's onslaught continued into the next few rounds. Cardenas showed immense heart as Inoue stalked him in the fifth and sixth, even catching the champion with a solid body shot.

But eventually, Inoue was too much for the challenger. He pressed the action early in the seventh and finally scored his lone knockdown of the fight with 25 seconds left in the stanza. Inoue came out in the eighth and pummeled Cardenas with a barrage of punches up against the ropes, forcing the referee to intervene.

Inoue now holds a 30-0 career record with 27 knockouts. The 32-year-old Japanese superstar has defended the undisputed 122-pound championship four times since winning it in December 2023.

Inoue was fighting in the United States for the first time since 2021, having competed in his native Japan in his last nine bouts before Sunday.

One of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the sport, Inoue used to hold the undisputed bantamweight championship before moving up in weight in July 2023.

Cardenas suffered just the second loss of his career, falling to 26-2. The 29-year-old San Antonio native's 14-fight winning streak ended.