IT has been announced that super-bantamweight king Naoya Inoue will put his undisputed crown up for grabs against American contender Ramon Cardenas on May 4.
Returning to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first time in three years, the pound-for-pound star just so happens to be in action on the same weekend as Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.
The 31-year-old will also enter his next assignment after breezing past short-notice opponent Ye Joon Kim in a four-round blowout last January.
But while Inoue, 29-0 (26 KOs), was always expected to defend his titles at the T-Mobile Arena later this year, the confirmation of his next opponent has come as a mini surprise.
It was widely reported that ‘The Monster’ would instead square off against WBC mandatory challenger Alan Picasso, with the unbeaten but unproven operator representing a sizable underdog.
However, it would appear that, after the Mexican withdrew from negotiations, Cardenas, 26-1 (14 KOs), swiftly catapulted his name into the mix to face the formidable knockout artist.
Despite being ranked number two by the WBA, Cardenas is yet to face an opponent on the level of Inoue, who has now firmly established himself as one of the sport’s most ferocious punchers.
Beyond his next outing, the Japanese star is likely to face WBA interim titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev, with the Uzbek’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, having suggested that negotiations between both parties are heading in the right direction.
After that, Inoue will then target a showdown in December, with WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball – who fights TJ Doheny this Saturday – representing a possible dance partner.
