Like broadcaster Tim Bradley, I had a
sneaking suspicion that Naoya Inoue's defense had started to slip in
recent fights. In Inoue's signature victory against Stephen Fulton in July of 2023, I
saw a master on both offense and defense. Whatever Fulton tried, he couldn't
get through and he certainly couldn't handle Inoue's offensive firepower. But
since then, I've seen slippage with Inoue's defense. After Fulton, Inoue gutted out a ragged
victory against the tricky Marlon Tapales, where Inoue was far from sharp. In his next fight he was dropped by Luis Nery.
Even TJ Doheny landed several impressive straight lefts and right hooks.
Minutes before Inoue's fight against Ramon Cardenas on Sunday, Bradley broke down three recent sequences where Inoue had left himself naked on defense. It was essentially all variations of the same theme. When Inoue would throw, he would keep his off hand low, far from protecting his face. One of the sequences that Bradley illustrated was the Nery knockdown and this exact defensive lapse happened again on Sunday. After throwing a wide left hook toward the end of the second round, Inoue's right hand was nowhere near protecting his face. And Cardenas took advantage of the opportunity, unfurling a vicious left hook of his own that blasted Inoue to the canvas.
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| Inoue on the canvas in the second round Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank |
Cardenas exploited Inoue's defensive lapse like a seasoned pro. Cardenas was prepared for this exact moment and I'm sure that his trainer, Joel Diaz, had a lot to do with that (Diaz used to train Tim Bradley as well). As soon as Cardenas recognized the pattern, he executed to the best of his ability.
But Sunday wasn't just about one great
moment from Cardenas. He pulverized Inoue with body shots and two-punch combinations in the third round
and also had a competitive fifth round. It was striking to see an Inoue
opponent thrive in the middle of such violent action, but there Cardenas was,
an almost laughable underdog according to the bookmakers, giving one of the
best fighters of the sport all he could handle.
***
Sunday was Inoue's first fight in
the United States since June of 2020. During that fight against Michael
Dasmarinas and his previous one, versus Jason Moloney, Inoue fought with ruthless
efficiency. There were no wasted punches. There was no playing with his food.
He was a dispassionate, destructive force.
But much has changed in the interim. During the
intervening four years, Inoue's style has morphed. He no longer is about
perfect punch placement and he's not nearly as patient as he once was. He's become
a swashbuckler, diving in with huge shots hoping to make an early statement.
Instead of letting the knockouts come, he's gunning for them from the opening
bell. Inoue is now playing to the crowd.
In Sunday's pre-fight interview
with ESPN, he admitted that he enjoyed brawling.
Instead of winning by tactical and technical dominance, he's embraced chaos and is more than happy to
let the chips fall where they may. It's certainly a crowd-friendly style, and
it plays great on TV, but it does leave him more vulnerable.
It seems that the thrill of combat is what keeps Inoue going. He wants the give-and-take. In addition to the enemy across the ring, Inoue has another foe: his own boredom. Inoue no longer wants to shut down opponents from the opening bell; he's fully aware that his style provides openings. He wants to feel alive in the ring.
***
From the fourth round on in
Sunday's fight, Inoue started to tighten up his offense and his defense. No
longer was he winging wide hooks from out-of-position. He went to straight
shots between the guard and had more sustained success. Only at close range would he return to the left hook.
To me the fight turned for good in the sixth round. Cardenas was off-balance after missing a power shot and Inoue connected with a huge, six-inch counter right. The punch instantly stood Cardenas up and he temporarily froze. After that shot, Cardenas backed up to the ropes. He no longer was about adventurism in the ring, but his own survival. The scrappy underdog who had matched Inoue's aggression now finally understood his own mortality.
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| Cardenas and Inoue trading left hands Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank |
The seventh was a Round of the Year candidate where Inoue bludgeoned Cardenas along the ropes with a punishing assortment of artillery. Cardenas tried to duck and dodge as best as he could, but he could no longer avoid Inoue's offense on a sustained basis. And then in the blink of an eye, Cardenas pushed Inoue back, flurried with two-punch combinations to the head, and dug his best left hooks to the body. Suddenly Inoue was now pressed up against the ropes. However, Inoue was able to reverse the momentum once more and trapped Cardenas in the corner. He unloaded with several right hands in succession, with the final punch of the sequence (and one that had little on it) dropping Cardenas to the canvas; Cardenas was that depleted.
The fight ended in the eighth
with Inoue shoeshining Cardenas in the corner. Referee Thomas Taylor stopped
the fight and I wouldn't have minded if he had given Cardenas a few more seconds to try
to figure things out, but Cardenas had taken a real beating.
***
I had seen Cardenas multiple
times prior to Sunday and he had never impressed me that much. He seemed to me
a rugged guy who fought with heart but lacked both the offensive firepower and
defensive technique to be a serious contender at 122 lbs. I thought that Cardenas was lucky to get the win in his previous fight against Bryan Acosta. If
he hadn't been the A-side in that fight I'm not sure that he would have been victorious.
But that's why they fight the fights. As late as the
sixth round on Sunday, the margin between the two fighters was only a single point. That's a competitive match and a much better showing than anyone had expected
from Cardenas.
In a weekend full of a lot of dud
boxing (more on that later), Cardenas’ performance was a refreshing reminder of
what a great loss looks like. Instead of tacitly accepting his defeat, Cardenas went for it, even after he was hurt. He was determined to impose himself on Inoue. Even when depleted in the seventh, he valiantly attacked Inoue with all he had left.
Cardenas won himself a lot of
fans with his performance on Sunday. And because of how he competed, he will now have an
improved price quote and more opportunities in the sport. Lots of people will
now care about him. He epitomized the best of boxing. He never believed that
he was there to lose or that he couldn't beat the great
Inoue; he kept firing.
***
Inoue also had a great night on Sunday. In a career that has seen him run roughshod over top fighters in four weight classes, Sunday was an opportunity for the boxing world to see a different side of him. Sunday wasn't just about Inoue's skills; it was overcoming adversity, digging down, and showing an even greater level in the ring after being pushed. It was championship mettle to go with a championship pedigree.
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| Inoue with his own knockdown in the seventh Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank |
Inoue summoned the best of himself on Sunday. Despite getting knocked down and losing early rounds, he got better and better as the fight continued. His focus became greater. His execution improved. He had been pressed, but he would not fold. He would conquer.
Boxing also had a great night on Sunday. Inoue-Cardenas was a heart-pounding thriller. After a weekend full of tepid winners, compliant losers and mediocre matchmaking, it was wonderful to be reminded of what great boxing looks like. It's two fighters selling out for the win. It's about risk-taking, showmanship, overcoming duress, heart, emotion, and fearlessness.
Inoue-Cardenas came at the right time. Boxing is always vulnerable as an enterprise. If fighters are disinterested in the ring, the fans won't be too far behind. If the fighters don’t care, why should they? But Inoue cared. And so did Cardenas. And they went to war. And we were enthralled, jumping up like little kids, throwing imaginary punches in the air, and remembering the joys that the great sport of boxing can provide.
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