“The Monster” has made his way to Las Vegas for the fourth defense of his undisputed crown.
Naoya Inoue fights from T-Mobile Arena, his first fight outside of Japan since 2021, against San Antonio’s Ramon Cardenas, a one-loss contender stepping into his first world title fight.
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Inoue, a four-division champion, is one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters and stands alongside Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk as the only men in the four-belt era to become undisputed champion in multiple weight classes.
“I am very much aware of what the fans expect of me and on Cinco De Mayo weekend, I plan on meeting those expectations,” Inoue said on May 1.
Here’s when the fighters are expected to enter the ring on fight night.
Top Rank’s two-fight main card begins on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. (CT) on May 4, with ring walks for Inoue vs. Cardenas expected to begin at approximately 10 p.m. (CT). The six-fight undercard begins on ESPN+ at 5:15 p.m. (CT).
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- Main card start: 9 p.m. CT
- Inoue vs Cardenas ring walks: approx. 10 p.m. CT
Watch Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas on ESPN+
Naoya Inoue is interviewed on May 1 ahead of his undisputed junior featherweight title fight against Ramon Cardenas on May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Top Rank’s two-fight card, headlined by Naoya Inoue’s undisputed title defense, will air live on ESPN and ESPN+ on May 4. Six undercard bouts will stream exclusively on ESPN+ ahead of the main card.
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Ahead of Naoya Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight title defense, Rafael Espinoza features in the main card opener, defending his WBO featherweight belt against Edward Vasquez.
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- Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) vs. Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs); WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF junior featherweight titles
- Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) vs. Edward Vasquez (17-2, 4 KOs); WBO featherweight title
ESPN+ undercard
- Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs) vs. Fabian Maidana (24-3, 18 KOs)
- Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) vs. Juan Leon (11-2-1, 2 KOs)
- Mikito Nakano (12-0, 11 KOs) vs. Pedro Marquez (16-1, 10 KOs)
- Art Barerra Jr. (8-0, 6 KOs) vs. Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-1-1, 2 KOs)
- Ra’eese Aleem (21-1, 12 KOs) vs. Rudy Garcia (13-1-1, 2 KOs)
- Patrick O’Connor (debut) vs. Marcus Smith (2-1, 2 KOs)
Naoya Inoue and Ramon Cardenas face off at a media workout ahead of their undisputed junior featherweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 4, 2025.
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Naoya Inoue enters his first stateside fight since 2021 as a massive, -5000 favorite to win, while Ramon Cardenas is a +1500 underdog. The over/under is set at 5.5 rounds.
- Cardenas by KO/TKO: +2500
- Cardenas by decision: +3500
Odds via DraftKings, as of May 2
The Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas fight card will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It is Inoue’s first fight outside of Japan since he last fought in Las Vegas in 2021.
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
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Harrison Campbell covers boxing for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Naoya Inoue fight time against Ramon Cardenas
