Naoya Inoue returned to the United States after four years to defend his super bantamweight titles against Ramon Cardenas in a high-stakes boxing match held in Las Vegas. Inoue, known for his knockout power, aimed to continue his winning streak and potentially set up future fights with notable contenders like Murodjon Akhmadaliev. Cardenas, with a strong record, sought to deliver an upset and solidify his legacy in boxing history. The event featured a co-main event where Rafael Espinoza successfully defended his WBO featherweight title against Edward Vazquez, alongside other promising matchups showcasing rising talents. The undercard included impressive performances by fighters like Rohan Polanco, Emiliano Vargas, and Art Barrera Jr., adding to the excitement of the eventful boxing night.

Naoya Inoue, an undefeated two-division world champion, defended his super bantamweight titles against Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas, marking his first fight in the U.S. since 2021.

Inoue, with a record of 29-0, has established himself as a formidable force in boxing, winning his last ten fights by knockout, and aimed to maintain his dominance and set up future high-profile bouts.

Ramon Cardenas, a Texas-born boxer with 14 knockout wins, entered the fight with the ambition to dethrone Inoue and achieve one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

The co-main event featured Rafael Espinoza, who retained his WBO featherweight title with a victory over Edward Vazquez, highlighting Espinoza's skill and potential as a rising star in the boxing world.

The event's undercard showcased emerging talents like Rohan Polanco, who dominated Fabian Maidana, and Emiliano Vargas, who delivered an impressive performance against Juan Leon.

Art Barrera Jr. and Mikito Nakano also delivered noteworthy performances, with Nakano making a significant impact in his U.S. debut by securing multiple knockdowns against Pedro Marquez.

The event, covered live by The Sporting News, provided fans with detailed results, analysis, and highlights, emphasizing the anticipation surrounding Inoue's return to the American boxing scene.

Naoya Inoue returns to the United States for the first time since 2021. The undisputed super bantamweight champion defends his belts on May 4 against Ramon Cardenas. The fight in Las Vegas airs on ESPN+ and Fubo in the U.S.

A multi-weight champion, Inoue (29-0) has won ten straight fights via knockout. The two-division undisputed champion is ready to once again make an impact in America. If he wins, Inoue will be lined up to face the likes of Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Nick Ball, and even Junto Nakatani. 

Cardenas (26-1) looks to spoil Inoue’s plans. The Texas-born star has 14 wins via knockout. If he can take Inoue out, not only will it be one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, but he will be immortalized forever. 

WATCH: Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas on Fubo (free trial)

“I know it’s going to be a tough fight. I know Inoue is a pound-for-pound great,” Cardenas said. “But I’m ready for that. I’m ready for the toughest fight of my career. I picture this being a hard fight, but I also picture myself coming out there and doing my thing and showing the world who I am.”

The co-main event will see Rafael Espinoza (26-0) put the WBO featherweight title on the line against Edward Vazquez (17-2). Espinoza beat Robeisy Ramirez to win the WBO title. Vazquez (17-2) competes in his second world title fight. He is on a two-fight win streak and has four wins via knockout. 

Also on the card will be prospects and rising contenders in Rohan Polanco, Emiliano Vargas, and Art Barrera Jr.

The Sporting News will provide results, analysis, and highlights from the entire Inoue vs. Cardenas boxing event. 

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas full card results

• Naoya Inoue (c) vs. Ramon Cardenas for the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles
• Rafael Espinoza (c) vs. Edward Vazquez for the WBO featherweight title
• Rohan Polanco def. Fabian Maidana via unanimous decision (100-89, 100-89, 100-89)  
• Emiliano Fernando Vargas def. Juan Leon via TKO (1:40 into round two)
• Mikito Nakano def. Pedro Marquez via TKO (1:58 into round four)
• Art Barrera Jr. def. Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. via TKO (1:15 into round six) 
• Raeese Aleem def. Rudy Garcia via unanimous decision (98-92, 97-93, 99-91)

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas live fight updates, highlights from 2025 boxing card

Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas.

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas

Round twelve: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round eleven: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round ten: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round nine: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round eight: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round seven: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round six: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round five: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round four: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round three: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round two: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round one: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Rafael Espinoza vs. Edward Vazquez

Round twelve: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round eleven: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round ten: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round nine: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round eight: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round seven: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round six: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round five: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round four: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round three: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round two: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Round one: 

SN unofficial scorecard:

Rohan Polanco takes Fabian Maidana to school 

Round ten: Maidana tried to start the last round with some offense, but Polanco had him scouted. Another shimmy by Polanco. Hooks connected. Combinations from Polanco, including left hooks, connected. He ran through Maidana in the final minute, including a few left hooks. A body shot finally dropped Maidana. Polanco attacked until the final bell. Polanco won via unanimous decision (100-89, 100-89, 100-89), 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-8 Polanco (99-90 Polanco)

Round nine: Jabs by Polanco kept on snapping Maidana's head back. Polanco continued to push Maidana back. He landed overhand shots. By the ropes, Maidana tried something of value, but he looked out of gas. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Polanco (89-82 Polanco) 

Round eight: Maidana tried to land anything of value. Polanco with jabs through Maidana's defense. A slip from Polanco. Polanco with overhand shots followed by a devastating hook. Maidana kept on getting pushed back. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Polanco (79-73 Polanco)

Round seven: Maidana showcased low energy. Polanco with inside body shots. Left to the face by Polanco after he landed a flurry of body shots. Four-punch combination hurt Maidana. He continued to lead and hurt Maidana. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Polanco (69-64 Polanco)

Round six: Polanco still had the edge, pushing Maidana back into the ropes. A nice left connected from Polanco. He landed a left hook and a few more from the inside. Polanco went from the head to the gut. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Polanco (59-55 Polanco)

Round five: Polanco with a jab that pushed Maidana back. Maidana looked sharp initially but has slowed down following that push. Big shot by Polanco hurt Maidana. Maidana missed key shots. Polanco was breaking him down and started to shimmy. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Polanco (49-46 Polanco)

Round four: Both landed hard jabs to start. Polanco with a nice shot and one to the body. A left and Maidana went down, but it was a push. Polanco took advantage. He held Maidana by the ropes. Polanco landed heavy body shots. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Polanco (39-37 Polanco)

Round three: Polanco didn't gave a stool. Maidana landed combinations and a hard jab right at the start of the fight. Body shot from Maidana. Counter body shot from Maidana followed by a right hand. Overhand hook by Maidana. Polanco pressed forward but didn't hurt Maidana. Maidana had a solid defense and landed a nice uppercut. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Maidana (29-28 Polanco)

Round two: Hooks from Polanco landed. Maidana with hooks of his own. Polanco got hit with a right hand. Right hand by Polanco followed by combinations. Straight jabs by Polanco followed by a body shot. Low body shots from Polanco. Maidana with a side body shot. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Polanco (20-18 Polanco)

Round one: Polanco controlled the ring. He landed jabs and hooks. Maidana with a few left hooks. Straight right from Polanco. He went high and low. Maidana countered with body shots. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Polanco

Emiliano Fernando Vargas drops Juan Leon in impressive outing

Round two: Vargas got backed into the corner. Out of it, he landed slick body shots and a right. A straight right hand a left hook dropped Leon. Vargas landed right hook combinations that dropped Leon again. the referee called the fight off. 

Round one: Vargas looked polished right from the start. He pushed Leon back with a few jabs and a hook. Vargas landed a slick body shot and a few more jabs. Vargas ate an uppercut and landed a punch through the gloves of Leon. Leon with a few combinations. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Vargas

Mikito Nakano takes out Pedro Marquez in U.S. debut

Round four: On the inside, Nakano landed body shots. Marquez showed signs of life, but he also looked a bit out of it. Body shot by Nakano. Body shot combinations that took Marquez down again. The referee finally called it off after another big body shot dropped him. Five knockdowns. Wow! 

Round three: Marquez with lefts, but Nakano landed fast hands that still hurt Marquez. Uppercut took Marquez down to the canvas once again. Nakano fought past Marquez's high guard. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-8 Nakano (30-24 Nakano) 

Round two: Straight left from Nakano. Marquez tried letting loose, but Nakano was too smooth. He landed lead jabs and hooks. A straight shot by Nakano dropped Marquez. He started taking over. Another knockdown. Counter left by Marquez. He tried coming back but Nakano landed hard shots to the body. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-7 Nakano (20-16 Nakano)

Round one: Nakano started with jabs and a shot to the body. He continued to land body shots past the defense of Marquez. Big shot to the face of Marquez, who looked confident. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Nakano

Art Barrera Jr. stops Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. in slugfest

Round six: Barrera with a few uppercuts and hooks on the inside. Guerra tried to fight back, but he got backed up with a right hand. The referee saw enough and stopped the fight. What a performance from round four on. 

Round five: Left hook by Barrera. Massive jab and a side uppercut connected. Left hook by Guerra. Another hook connected. Nice jab from Barrera. Chopping hook from Barrera. A body shot hurt Guerra. Barrera pressed forward and landed a right uppercut. A straight right connected. Barrera found his timing. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Barrera (48-47 Barrera)

Round four: Both were slugging away, a major contrast from the last two nights of fights. Barrera with a massive shot tot he face of Guerra. Left hook by Barrera. Solid left hooks and body shots from Barrera. Guerra tried to land a few hooks of his own, but Barrera countered with rights. Short right hand by Barrera.

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Barrera (38-38)

Round three: Guerra had Barrera by the ropes, he landed combinations. Barrera with a left hook to get him off him. Barrera with hooks to the head, but Guerra with shots by the ropes. Guerra with an uppercut and several key shots. Barrera with a left hook. Big hook to the chin of Barrera. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Guerra (29-28 Guerra)

Round two: Uppercut by Barrera connected. Still Guerra landed for volume. He dug to the body. He landed hard hooks. Barrera still pressed hard. He landed combinations that pushed Guerra back. Barrera looked sharp in the round. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Barrera (19-19)

Round one: Guerra pressed forward with some big body shots. Barrera landed combinations. He used a solid defense to avoid key shots. Guerra did land more body shots. Barrera switched to hooks to the head. Barrera used his jab and was starting to press forward. A sneaky jab connected. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Guerra

Raeese Aleem looks impressive against Rudy Garcia

Round ten: Garcia with uppercuts and body shots, chasing Aleem down. Aleem landed his own body shot. He used a solid defense Aleem with a left hook and a straight shot to the face of Garcia. They swung away until the final bell. Aleem won via unanimous decision. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Aleem (97-93 Aleem)

Round nine: Aleem with combinations. He landed a straight jab to the gut and combinations. By the corner, he pummeled Garcia. A right from Garcia connected. Body shot from Aleem. Big left hook from Aleem. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Aleem (87-84 Aleem)

Round eight: Body shot by Garcia followed by a jab. A counter hook from Garcia. A body shot connected. Garcia pressed forward. Aleem with a body shot. Garcia with counter combinations. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Garcia (77-75 Aleem)

Round seven: Both landed combinations. Left hook from Aleem caught the chin of Garcia. He landed another hook and a jab. Aleem with a right and left downstairs. Uppercut and body shot from Aleem. A counter hook landed from Aleem. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Aleem (68-65 Aleem)

Round six: Aleem with a straight jab. Garcia was told to pick up the pressure. Aleem with combinations and then landed body shots. From the inside, Aleem landed hooks. While both connected, Aleem landed the cleaner shots, including an overhand right. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Aleem (58-56 Aleem)

Round five: Aleem started to settle in a little bit. He pressed forward and landed hard body shots. Garcia landed a hook and an uppercut. Aleem with combinations. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Aleem (48-47 Aleem)

Round four: Garcia pressed forward and landed hooks. Aleem with a shot to the body. Garcia with a few jabs. Combinations from Aleem forced Garcia to trip. Both swung away. Aleem with body work. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Aleem (38-38) 

Round three: Whatever Aleem is throwing it is not doing enough to discourage Garcia. Aleem with combinations followed by a jab. Garcia with a counter right. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Aleem (29-28 Garcia) 

Round two: Lead hooks by Garcia. Body shot from the inside connected. A right connected by Garcia. Garcia with one-two combinations. He continued to land heavy shots to the body. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Garcia (20-18 Garcia) 

Round one: Garcia pressed forward to start things off. He landed jabs and hooks to the body of Aleem. Aleem with a jab himself. Garcia with an inside body shot and running hooks. He showcased a solid defense. Right to the body by Aleem. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Garcia

The first fight of the main card will see Rafael Espinoza vs. Edward Vazquez for the WBO featherweight title. 

10 p.m. ET: The main card has started. 

9:54 p.m. ET: Phew, baseball game has ended. Braves beat the Dodgers. Boxing can start on time! What a wild thing to think about. 

9:34 p.m. ET: Last fight of the prelims ended as Rohan Polanco dominated Maidana. Now waiting for the Dodgers-Braves game to end for the main card to start (the main card is supposed to start at 10 p.m. ET).

THAT'S HOW YOU CLOSE 😤 pic.twitter.com/tuauZKu6kU

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 5, 2025

8:47 p.m. ET: Rohan Polanco vs. Fabian Maidana is up next. 

8:27 p.m. ET: Vargas dropped Leon multiple times and the referee saw enough. There are more finishes on this fight card than the last two nights of boxing. 

CINCO DE MAYO GOT STARTED EARLY 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/IxqhWimKsk

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 5, 2025

8:17 p.m. ET: Emiliano Fernando Vargas vs. Juan Leon is up next. 

8:07 p.m. ET: Inoue announced his limit is featherweight. 

8 p.m. ET: In his U.S. debut, Nakano landed five knockdowns for the stoppage win. Nakano used more power against his opponent compared to any other boxer this weekend. 

HANDS OF STEEL 🦾

Welcome to the America, Mikito Nakano.#InoueCardenas Undercard | NOW on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/sIjMYV5qsI

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 4, 2025

7:45 p.m. ET: Naoya Inoue is eating cake before the main card starts. 

Cake before the party 🍰

Enjoy your first look into Naoya Inoue's locker room. pic.twitter.com/IDl2znpTlh

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 4, 2025

7:40 p.m. ET: From Korakuen Hall to the T-Mobile Arena, Mikito Nakano makes his U.S. debut against Pedro Marquez. 

7:37 p.m. ET: World champion Angelo Leo went on the show to preview the main card, specifically the co-main. He fights on May 24. 

7:34 p.m. ET: From round four on, Art Barrera Jr. looked fantastic against Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. The referee ended it in the sixth via TKO. What a performance. Straight action!  

7:08 p.m. ET: Art Barrera Jr. vs. Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. is up next. 

7:03 p.m. ET: After starting slow, Raeese Aleem looked impressive against Rudy Garcia, landing several counter shots and blows to the body of Garcia. He wins his first fight of 2025. 

6:26 p.m. ET: The main card on ESPN could go on later, depending if the Dodgers-Braves game goes late. 

6:20 p.m. ET: Raeese Aleem vs. Rudy Garcia starts things off. 

6:10 p.m. ET: Something to note: Inoue is fighting tonight and is scheduled to face Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September. However, “MJ” will compete before then. He fights on the Manuel Gallegos vs. Khalil Coe card on May 30. 

6 p.m. ET: Hello everyone! This weekend has been a busy boxing weekend. However, we aren't done! Naoya Inoue returns to the ring! 

MORE INOUE-CARDENAS:

• Breaking down the entire Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas undercard
• Why Naoya Inoue is the best boxer fighting this weekend 
• Naoya Inoue hints it will be fast and explosive in Ramon Cardenas fight

Where to watch Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas

• Channel: ESPN
• Live stream: ESPN+ | Fubo

Fight fans can watch Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas on ESPN+. You can subscribe to ESPN+ for $11.99 on a monthly subscription and $119.99 on an annual subscription.

The fight is also on ESPN. Cord-cutters can also stream the fight on Fubo, which is currently offering a free trial.

Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and 200+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas start time

• Date: Sunday, May 4
• Start time: 10 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. PT | 3 a.m. BST | 12 p.m. AEST
• Main event start time (approx.): 11:30 p.m. ET | 8:30 p.m. PT | 4:30 a.m. BST | 12 p.m. AEST
• Location:  T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas will be in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 4. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. Inoue and Cardenas should make their way to the ring around 11:30 p.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.