Naoya Inoue knocks out Ramon Cardenas to stay unbeaten

LAS VEGAS: Naoya Inoue knocked down Ramon Cardenas with his trademark strength in the eighth round here at the T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.

It was the first fight of Inoue in Las Vegas in four years and the fighter entertained a crowd of 8,474, reinstating his status as one of the best fighters in the World.

Cardenas amazed the Japanese early and dropped him in the second round.

“I was very surprised [at the knockdown], but I took things calmly and put myself together,” said Inoue, 32.

“From then on, I made sure to not take that punch again.”

Inoue took charge by the fourth round, employing precise accuracy and continuous body assault to break down the tough Cardenas.

Inoue punched 57 of 103 power punches (55%) alone in the sixth and seventh rounds, as the champion's rate and aggression slowly overwhelmed the challenger.

The seventh round was where Cardenas was first dropped after taking a vicious four-punch combination.

In the eighth, Inoue let loose with a last burst of activity that forced referee Thomas Taylor to wave off the fight, registering the Monster's 30th consecutive win and 27th stoppage victory.

"He's pound-for-pound one of the greatest fighters in the world," Cardenas conceded after the bout.

Inoue was leading 68-63 on all three judges' scorecards when his fight was stopped.

He is now set to face former unified champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev in a mandatory defence this September.

In the co-main event, Rafael Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) defended his WBO featherweight title with a seventh-round TKO of Edward Vazquez (17-3).

Rohan Polanco (16-0, 10 KOs) remained unbeaten with a unanimous decision win over Fabian Maidana, including a body shot knockdown in the eighth round.