LAS VEGAS – Ramon Cardenas’ co-promoters are already plotting his next move after watching him enhance his reputation in defeat by Naoya Inoue.
The Mexican-American was stopped in eight rounds on Sunday but after having dramatically dropped the undisputed junior-featherweight champion in the second at the T-Mobile Arena and willingly trading with one of the world’s most dangerous punchers until then.
According to Sampson Lewkowicz, Akihiko Honda – Inoue’s long-term co-promoter – has raised the prospect of Cardenas fighting in Inoue’s home country of Japan, in recognition of how entertaining a challenger to the 32 year old he proved.
Lewkowicz even believes that the punishing nature of Sunday’s contest has jeopardised Inoue’s date of September 14 with Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev. His fellow co-promoter Garry Jonas of ProBox TV, similarly, wants to see the 29-year-old Cardenas fully recover before returning, but expects him to be rewarded with further big fights when he does.
“I already have a call, from Mr Honda, that they want to see him in Japan,” Lewkowicz told BoxingScene. “He didn’t win the fight, but he won the hearts of the fighters.
“He did Cinco de Mayo, not in New York and not in Saudi Arabia – he did it in Las Vegas, the way it’s supposed to be.
“[The fight in Japan will be] next year, most likely. After this fight he needs to have a long rest. Maybe six months; by the end of the year, or next year [he’ll return to the ring]. We’ll have a great fight.
“[Inoue] got hurt several times, so I believe he will not fight ‘till the end of the year. He will not fight in September – I don’t think so. This is my personal opinion.
“He’s the best fighter [in the world].
“Cinco de Mayo is in Las Vegas. Don’t look for any other place.”
Cardenas had been the significant underdog against an opponent widely considered one of the world’s finest active fighters. It is also little secret that on the occasion of Cinco de Mayo weekend he had been matched with his opponent partly on account of his heritage.
“He made us all at ProBox TV very proud,” Jonas told BoxingScene. “We knew he would put up a very good fight.
“first, for Ramon, you take the money and you know you don’t have to win in order to win – if he gave a good performance his stock goes up and he did just that. Some take the money and lay down. Ramon is too good and has too much character to do that, and in Ramon’s mind he had at least a puncher’s chance to win and he almost did that.
“There’s already been a lot of buzz about future opportunities for Ramon – that’s what biting down and making sure he gave the fans a show did. He earned what’s surely coming his way.
“He’ll return as soon as he’s ready. He was very busy on ProBox TV, so if he wants to take a break, he’s earned that.
“Ramon knows that there’s been a string of fighters who’ve stepped up from ProBox TV to the big stage and done well. Lamont Roach; Angelo Leo; Radivoje Kalajdzic; Trevor McCumby. We add Ramon to that list – it’s testament to our level of fighter – he felt that pressure to deliver and be the action fighter we preach about. We may not win but we’re coming and we will entertain.”
It’s also been suggested since the final bell on Sunday that Inoue, who won his first world title a 108lbs, showed signs of decline.
“This was the first time I’ve seen Inoue in person,” Jonas continued. “He’s all they say he is. As good as Ramon is, you could see Inoue is at a whole other level. I’m not sure anyone at 122 can realistically do more than what Cardenas did. Inoue is that guy.”
Related news :