DESPITE losing to Naoya Inoue via technical knockout, Ramon Cardenas has cast doubt on whether the Japanese phenomenon possesses the punch power to continue his success in the higher weight classes.
Inoue, 30-0 (27 KOs), has already conquered four weight divisions and currently reigns as the undisputed super-bantamweight champion, which he defended for a fourth time against Ramon Cardenas, 26-2 (14 KOs), in the early hours of this morning.
As a result, comparisons have been drawn between ‘The Monster’ and boxing’s solitary eight-division ruler, Manny Pacquiao, as fans question how many weight-classes Inoue can run through and continue to demand that the 32-year-old superstar moves up to featherweight.
However, this morning’s performance, whilst impressive in some metrics, also showed a rare vulnerability to the great Naoya Inoue – who was dramatically dropped for a second time during his career before rallying on to halt Cardenas in the eighth round.
Speaking after the fight, Cardenas told Boxing News that the power of Naoya Inoue is not so fearsome in the 122lb scene but that it is his speed and combination punching that is instead of greater threat.
“It’s not so much the power. I’m not going to say anything bad because I did get stopped but it was more that he was overwhelming, because he throws six, seven, eight punches and I’m like, ‘damn’.
“He hit me with five punches and then he would keep going! It was never power that got me like ‘oh s**t, I am stunned’ – never. It was always six, seven, eight punches and it was just overwhelming more than anything.”
With hard-hitting champions such as Rafael Espinoza and Nick Ball awaiting the pound-for-pound superstar at 126lbs, Inoue can ill afford a lapse in concentration that would allow those men to land a shot similarly to that of Cardenas – as it could result in the end of his undefeated record.
Equally, Inoue may have his own doubts as to whether his power will be effective as a featherweight, as he continues to debate when the right time to vacate the undisputed super-bantamweight crown and move up will be.
For now, Inoue will remain as a 122-pound fighter, reportedly poised to face Murodjon Akhmadaliev, 13-1 (10 KOs), on September 14 back in Tokyo, where the answer to the question of whether Inoue has maxed out at super-bantamweight or not could become clearer.
