Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas: Live Results Update

Welcome to the live results update for Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas!

Their fight headlines a Top Rank card – done in association with Ohashi Promotion, Teiken Promotions, and Sampson Boxing – at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Fight fans in the United States can catch the action live on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. Those in Japan can do so with Prime Video while TSN and Sky Sports will be the broadcasters in Canada and the United Kingdom respectively.

Be sure to check below as we recap each fight as the evening progresses.

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas Live Results Update

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas

Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) survived an early knockdown in order to eventually defeat Ramon Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs) by technical knockout.

The official time of stoppage was 0:45 of round eight. With the victory, Inoue remains the undisputed super bantamweight world champion. He achieved the distinction after stopping Marlon Tapales in 2023.

The opening round saw both men mainly stay an arm’s length away from each other. Both were trying to establish their jab early on. What happened in the next round, however, shocked viewers.

Towards the end of second, Cardenas caught Inoue coming in with a left hook and knocked the undisputed champion down. The challenger had been biding his time and was finally able to capitalize on a defensive mistake made by the Japanese fighter. In subsequent rounds, Cardenas’ high guard allowed him to mitigate the damage that came from Inoue’s punches. He continued to look for opportunities to land powerful shots, but was unable to replicate the success of round two.

INOUE JUST GOT CAUGHT. pic.twitter.com/e99cBugE1a

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

After a couple of somewhat even rounds, Inoue rocked his opponent and proceeded to land a barrage of punches with roughly a minute to go in round six. While Cardenas remained on his feet, it would not be for much longer. The round proved to be a turning point in the fight.

Cardenas was dropped in round seven by a series of right hands to the head. Though he got up and continued fighting into round eight, a barrage of punches caused referee Thomas Taylor to step in and halt proceedings with Cardenas still standing. The American had his back against the ropes and did not throw back as Inoue landed his final barrage of the night.

FINALLY! INOUE RETURNS THE FAVOR! pic.twitter.com/JalHJR1uR1

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

KING ****.

INOUE STAYS ON TOP. pic.twitter.com/Igd1Zo9YxI

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

Rafael Espinoza vs. Edward Vazquez

Rafael Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) was simply too much for Edward Vazquez (17-3, 4 KOs, 1 NC), defeating him via technical knockout.

The official time of stoppage was 1:47 of round seven. With the win, Espinoza remains the WBO featherweight world champion. He won the title in 2023 against Robeisy Ramírez. This was his third defence of the belt.

Vazquez began the fight by keeping a high guard and staying low while pressing forward in an attempt to get on the inside. Espinoza was constantly throwing touching punches in order to keep his opponent off of him. As the fight went on, both fighters stuck with their respective approaches. For Espinoza, the uppercut was a punch he had plenty of success with. On the other hand, Vazquez’s success mostly came from overhand shots.

The challenger struggled with the output from the reigning champion, something that was very evident from round four onwards. Espinoza threw onslaught after onslaught. Somehow, Vazquez was able to stay standing despite taking all that punishment. However, his resistance would not last for long.

With over a minute to go in round seven, Espinoza landed a barrage of punches that included several uppercuts, hooks, and straights. With Vazquez in a corner and not throwing anything back, referee Harvey Dock stepped in and ended proceedings.

A SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING 🇲🇽🌟

Rafael Espinoza just shined when the lights were bright! pic.twitter.com/j4FBAm0P2M

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

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas Undercard Results

Rohan Polanco (16-0, 10 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Fabián Maidana (24-4, 18 KOs). Scores for this 10-round welterweight bout were 100-89 across the board. In the tenth, Maidana was knocked down by a right hand to the midsection.

Emiliano Vargas (14-0, 12 KOs) won via second round technical knockout against Juan León (11-3-1, 2 KOs). The official time of stoppage for this eight-round super lightweight contest was 1:40. León was first dropped in the second from a one-two followed by a left hook to the head. Not long after, Vargas landed a right hook followed by a left uppercut which sent his opponent down once again. The fight was immediately waved off after that.

Mikito Nakano (13-0, 12 KOs) won via fourth round technical knockout against Pedro Márquez (16-2, 10 KOs). The official time of stoppage for their 10-round featherweight fight was 1:58. Márquez was first knocked down in the second from a straight left hand to the face. Not long after, he went down for a second time. In round three, Márquez went down from a left uppercut. Nakano scored two more knockdowns in the fourth. The first was from a straight left and a right hook to the body. After Márquez was dropped for the fifth time by a right hook to the body, the fight was immediately waved off.

Art Barrera Jr. (9-0, 7 KOs) won via sixth round technical knockout against Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-2-1, 2 KOs). The official time of stoppage for this six-round super welterweight clash was 1:15. The referee put an end to proceedings after Guerra was taking a lot of punishment without defending himself.

Ra’eese Aleem (22-1, 12 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Rudy Garcia (13-2-1, 2 KOs). Scores for their 10-round featherweight bout were 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93.