Naoya Inoue to defend crowns in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — All four major boxing junior featherweight belts sat in front of the combatants on Thursday (Friday in Manila), but Ramon Cardenas wouldn't look at them "because they're not mine yet."

He hopes to take those belts from Naoya Inoue and, well, good luck with that.

The Japanese sensation nicknamed "Monster" is an enormous favorite in his return to Las Vegas. He is back for the first time since twice fighting at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, first in a no-fans-allowed bubble and then inside a resort theater.

Neither is anything like T-Mobile Arena where on Sunday night the 32-year-old Inoue (29-0, 26 knockouts) will face Cardenas, a 29-year-old from San Antonio, who is 26-1 with 14 KOs.

The co-main event is another title bout. WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) of Mexico goes against Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas.

Inoue is a -10000 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook and -900 to end the fight early, but he also knows he won't have the benefit of a home crowd like he would at Tokyo Dome. Inoue also is fighting on Cinco de Mayo weekend rather than someone like Canelo Alvarez, the crowd favorite who often takes center stage in Las Vegas at this time but this weekend is competing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Inoue said through an interpreter he didn't know what to expect regarding the crowd, calling the match "an away game."

"The ideal situation is to show the American fans my boxing and to win with a knockout," Inoue said. "But more than anything, I want everyone to see what they have not been able to see live in Japan."

He has achieved legendary status in his homeland and hasn't taken the distance in more than five years, becoming a four-division champion and the undisputed champ in two weight classes.