Brutal ringside footage shows Naoya Inoue getting dropped with vicious left hand and sent shockwaves through crowd
It was the shot that sparked fears a monumental underdog could cause an all-time boilover. Japanese megastar Naoya Inoue picked up his 30th professional win when he stopped a game Ramon Cardenas to retain his crown as the undisputed super-bantamweight king. Top RankInoue found himself in an unfamiliar situation against Cardenas[/caption] However, the man dubbed ‘The Monster’ was made to look mortal by Cardenas when the American dropped his rival in the second round. Inoue had Cardenas backed up against the ropes and ripped a number of body shots before he swung with a left hook. But Cardenas telegraphed the shot as he ducked down and unleashed a thudding left hand that caught Inoue flush on the nose and sent the champion down to the canvas. It was just the second time Inoue had been dropped in his career, with the only other occasion coming against Luis Nery in May last year. The thud from Cardenas’ shot and the subsequent reaction from the crowd was captured in stunning ringside footage shared by Top Rank. Upon Cardenas’ shot landing, the disbelief is evident among fans as just about everyone inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas yelled: “Ooooh!” Cardenas, who went into the bout as a staggering 100/1 underdog, must have thought it was his chance for glory as Inoue took his time before he rose to his feet to beat the count. Unfortunately for Cardenas, the bell for the end of the round sounded just as the referee waved the action back on. It seemed as if the knockdown kicked Inoue into gear as he began a relentless offensive onslaught against Cardenas from the third round onwards. Cardenas showed tremendous bravery to remain on his feet despite the endless assault from Inoue in the ensuing rounds, but a shot from ‘The Monster’ in the seventh broke his resistance as the knockdown count was equalled. @trboxing - XThe American caught ‘The Monster’ flush on the button with a sharp left hand[/caption] The knockdown ultimately proved to be the beginning of the end as Inoue managed to secure the stoppage in the eighth, even if Cardenas disagreed with the referee’s intervention. Speaking after his triumph, Inoue admitted Cardenas’ shot in the second round caught him utterly off-guard. But, as all great champions do, he made the necessary adjustments that preserved his unbeaten record. “I was very surprised but I was able to calmly pull myself together,” Inoue said. “In the first round I thought I had pretty good distance but in the second round it kind of got a little loose. “From thereafter I made sure I didn’t take that punch again.” Top RankInoue turned the tables on his rival and eventually got the stoppage he craved[/caption] The victory over Cardenas marked the 27th win via stoppage for Inoue as he now set his sights on Murodjon Akhmadaliev. It was also Inoue’s first fight outside of Japan since June 2021 when he knocked out Michael Dasmarinas in Vegas.
It was the shot that sparked fears a monumental underdog could cause an all-time boilover.
Japanese megastar Naoya Inoue picked up his 30th professional win when he stopped a game Ramon Cardenas to retain his crown as the undisputed super-bantamweight king.
However, the man dubbed ‘The Monster’ was made to look mortal by Cardenas when the American dropped his rival in the second round.
Inoue had Cardenas backed up against the ropes and ripped a number of body shots before he swung with a left hook.
But Cardenas telegraphed the shot as he ducked down and unleashed a thudding left hand that caught Inoue flush on the nose and sent the champion down to the canvas.
It was just the second time Inoue had been dropped in his career, with the only other occasion coming against Luis Nery in May last year.
The thud from Cardenas’ shot and the subsequent reaction from the crowd was captured in stunning ringside footage shared by Top Rank.
Upon Cardenas’ shot landing, the disbelief is evident among fans as just about everyone inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas yelled: “Ooooh!”
Cardenas, who went into the bout as a staggering 100/1 underdog, must have thought it was his chance for glory as Inoue took his time before he rose to his feet to beat the count.
Unfortunately for Cardenas, the bell for the end of the round sounded just as the referee waved the action back on.
It seemed as if the knockdown kicked Inoue into gear as he began a relentless offensive onslaught against Cardenas from the third round onwards.
Cardenas showed tremendous bravery to remain on his feet despite the endless assault from Inoue in the ensuing rounds, but a shot from ‘The Monster’ in the seventh broke his resistance as the knockdown count was equalled.
The knockdown ultimately proved to be the beginning of the end as Inoue managed to secure the stoppage in the eighth, even if Cardenas disagreed with the referee’s intervention.
Speaking after his triumph, Inoue admitted Cardenas’ shot in the second round caught him utterly off-guard.
But, as all great champions do, he made the necessary adjustments that preserved his unbeaten record.
“I was very surprised but I was able to calmly pull myself together,” Inoue said.
“In the first round I thought I had pretty good distance but in the second round it kind of got a little loose.
“From thereafter I made sure I didn’t take that punch again.”
The victory over Cardenas marked the 27th win via stoppage for Inoue as he now set his sights on Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
It was also Inoue’s first fight outside of Japan since June 2021 when he knocked out Michael Dasmarinas in Vegas.
