What’s Next For Naoya Inoue?

Naoya Inoue defeated Ramon Cardenas to remain the Undisputed Super Bantamweight Champion, raising questions about his next steps. 

Inoue survived a scare in the second round after he got dropped with a left hook on the counter. However, The Monster regained his focus to break down Cardenas to stop him in the eight round. He will face off against his WBA mandatory Murodjon Akhmadaliev next on September 14. The fight will take place in Tokyo, Japan, as Inoue will box in his home country, where he continues to sell out and dominate his opponents.

“By watching tonight’s fight, everyone is well aware that I like to brawl. I was very surprised [at the knockdown], but I took things calmly and put myself together… In the first round, I felt I had good distance. It got loose in the second round. From then on, I made sure to not take that punch again,” Inoue said

Options

His US performance will have expanded his brand further, having produced an exciting encounter. Akhmadaliev’s record stands at 13-1. He is a power puncher with 10 KOs to his name. He won his last two bouts, beating Kevin Gonzalez and Ricardo Espinoza Franco. 

Inoue could also set up a fight with Junto Nakatani. The latter is the WBC Bantamweight Champion. His record stands at 30-0, with 23 KOs to his name. He stopped David Cuellar Contreras in his last fight to set up a bout with Ryosuke Nishida in June. Nakatani would have to move up a weight class to secure that fight. However, Inoue has previously said he would be happy to face him. 

Equally, Inoue could move up to featherweight. Inoue is a two-weight undisputed champion, having won all the belts at bantamweight and super bantamweight. He has won titles across four weight classes, meaning he may be looking for a new challenge. Nick Ball is the WBA Featherweight Champion who stopped TJ Doheny in his last fight. This is a bout which has been mentioned. Inoue has several options moving forward. 

Full Card

Naoya Inoue beat Ramon Cardenas via an eighth-round TKO

Rafael Espinoza beat Edward Vazquez via a seventh-round TKO

Rohan Polanco beat Fabian Maidana via a unanimous decision: 100-89, 100-89, 100-89

Emiliano Fernando Vargas beat Juan Leon via a second-round TKO

Mikito Nakano beat Pedro Marquez via a fourth-round TKO

Art Barrera Jr. beat Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. via a sixth-round TKO

Raeese Aleem beat Rudy Garcia via a unanimous decision: 98-92, 97-93, 99-91