Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) had to get up off the deck from an early knockdown to come back to score an eighth-round technical knockout of Ramon Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs) on Sunday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Inoue dropped Cardenas late in the seventh round. At the start of the eighth, Inoue unloaded with a storm of punches against the still-hurt Cardenas. Referee Thomas Taylor stepped in and stopped the fight. The time was at 0:45 of round eight.
In the second round, Cardenas knocked Inoue down hard with a huge left hook to the head that the Japanese start never saw coming.
“I was very surprised, but then I got myself together. I made sure I didn’t get hit with that punch again,” said Inoue about being stopped by Cardenas in round two. “I knew he was tough, but boxing is not that easy. Next, September, MJ,” said Naoya about his next fight.
WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) retained his title with a seventh-round TKO victory over Edward Vazquez (17-3, 4 KOs) in the co-feature bout. The 6’1″ Espinoza hurt Vazquez with a left to the body, causing him to back up against the ropes in the seventh. Espinoza unloaded with a barrage of unanswered punches, forcing referee Harvey Dock to step in and stop the contest. The time of the stoppage was at 1:47 of round seven.
“I knew he was a game fighter and I would have to dig in my bag to win this fight,” said Espinoza after the fight, talking about Vazquez. “These fans deserve a show. This is Cinco de Mayo weekend. I had to put on a show for them. I’m ready to take on all the opposition. I am the champion now. I know a fight against Naoya Inoue would catapult me into stardom.”
Welterweight contender Rohan Polanco (16-0, 10 KOs) defeated Fabian Andres Maidana (24-4, 18 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision. #10 WBO and #15 WBC Polanco dropped Maidana with a right to the body in the final minute of the tenth round. Polanco attempted to finish him in the remaining seconds, but couldn’t. Fabian proved to be tough.
The scores were 100-89, 100-89, and 100-89. Maidana looked dejected after the sixth round, like he wanted to quit, because he’d been hammered by Polanco. His trainer motivated him to keep fighting, and he responded by having a strong eighth, landing big shots on Polanco. Rohan slipped and fell at one point, which excited the fans at the ringside. It seemed to lift Maidana’s spirits because he had a good round.
Light welterweight prospect Emiliano Vargas (14-0, 12 KOs) destroyed Juan Leon (11-3-1, 2 KOs) in a second-round TKO. Vargas, 21, dropped Leon twice. Referee Robert Hoyle stepped in to halt the fight after the second knockdown of the round. The official time of the stoppage was at the 1:40 mark. In the first knockdown, Vargas connected with two jabs followed by a right hand and a left hook to put Leon on the canvas. Moments later, he tagged Leon with a right hand and a left uppercut to drop him. The referee pulled the plug rather than letting the massacre continue.