Las Vegas-Naoya Inoue is one of the best fighters on the planet, and on Sunday, the Japanese puncture returns to the United States for the first time in four years, while he titled T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to defend his unknown Cardenas mixer.
During a brief group for American Media on Friday, Inoue told Unecrowned and other journalists whom he would describe himself as “a sportsman” more than a boxer or a fighter.
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But if he wants to go further and become a superstar here, just as he is in Japan, he will have to work harder – and face opponents who have a greater challenge than Cardenas, who Betmgm bookmakers have an outsider +1450.
There is a strange paradox with regard to an elite fighter like Inoue.
The 32 -year -old man, nicknamed Kaibutsu (monster), boxes like a showman. Boxer N ° 3 Books for World BookInoue has punching punch, instinctive pivots and enormous fluidity at work while he applies opponents, then punishes them with blows with the most nasty intentions. If you like to watch sport combat athletes at the top of their powers, then it is to see television.
Luis Nerry showed that inoue had vulnerabilities when, in 2024, he finished it with a left -handed shovel hook, but the contributor's weight champion showed his heart by climbing the canvas to knock the Mexican in front of 55,000 Fans of Tokyo Dome in Japan.
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World champion of four weights, Inoue broke the hearts of the British, the Philippins and the Australians with victories against Jamie McDonnell, Nonito Donaire and Jason Moloney. Its international infamy in boxing circles has developed considerably over the years.
He is a legitimate superstar even outside of boxing circles in his country of origin, but has not yet reached this status in the United States
This is the weekend of Cinco de Mayo, a period during which Las Vegas welcomes high rolls in Mexico and generally composes them for the biggest boxing fights of the year. A boxer does not even need to be Mexican to order on Saturday closest to May 5, because Floyd Mayweather Jr. made his own during the most lucrative years of his professional career. Since his retirement, however, he has become one of the key dates of Alvarez de Saul “Canelo”.
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With “Canelo” in Saudi Arabia for the first of an agreement of four fights with the Riyadh season, Taking William Scull on Saturday eveningInoue has the chance to experience large -scale vibrations in the capital of the world of combat in the absence of Alvarez.
But there is a lack of buzz compared to the other headliners of Cinco de Mayo, because the attention on Inoue has so far not been transferred through the peaceful ocean from which it is the most palpable.
During “Canelo” events, the media and fans meet by the thousands of Toshiba Plaza for external weighings for free so that the public can assist and have an overview of their Mexican idol. Microphones returns their engines from top to bottom of the strip of Las Vegas, with The Flag of Mexico By beating in the breeze, well in the night.
On the other hand, we have not yet seen a fever of the fans for Inoue, despite her book status for book.
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There could be many reasons for this. He has not fought in the United States since a direct elimination victory for the third round against Michael Dasmarinas in 2021. Cardenas is not a big name in the United States to justify significant attention. And the fight is a Sunday.
Naoya Inoue from Japan is one of the best talents in the world of boxing. So where is excitement in the United States? (Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images)
(Philip Fong via Getty Images)
Boxing, moreover, may have been widespread too thin for a three-day weekend, with Rolando “Rolly” Romero Beating Ryan Garcia FridayAnd “Canelo” Fighting Scull on Saturday, before the broadcasters did not inoue after the trip of his compatriot Shohei Ohtani to Atlanta Braves for an MLB match with his Los Angeles Dodgers.
To arouse more interest in his trips to the United States, Inoue could easily make himself more visible.
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To big arrivals earlier this week, he was the only athlete to participate in the Sunday show who did not bother to work in the ring at the MGM Grand. There was also a limited media time with him. We have managed to ask a question, through its translator, about the frequency to which combat fans in America will be able to see it.
“The calendar is roughly full for the rest of the year,” Inoue told UNEDRAD.
He confirmed that he would return to Tokyo to fight Murodjon Akhmadaliev on September 14, provided that he successfully defends his super naughty world weight championship titles against Cardenas on ESPN +.
Inoue also told us that “spring or the last part of (2026)” seemed to be an ideal moment to fight again in America.
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Without a crown heard several sources on Friday that the relatives of Inoue closed a question behind the scenes of other media earlier this week about a potential match against Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
A fight against Gervonta Davis could be the big confrontation that Naoya Inoue needs to make a brand in the United States. (Al Bello / Getty images)
(Al Bello via Getty Images)
The difference in weight between the Inoue of 122 pounds and the light davis (135 pounds) made a match which was once easy to brush.
But given the ways in which popular fighters like Jake Paul, Chris Eubank and Conor Benn manage to ensure that transcendent episodes occur in the modern era, despite the gaps in weight, there is a way to make these types of fighting occur.
History also suggests that it is possible.
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The initiates feared the health of Manny Pacquiao when the Filipino fighter, then a super featherweight, who had only struggled once in light weight, spent with Hoya Oscar in Welterweight in 2008. “Pacman” struck the Hoya, forced an eighth round of retirement, and had become the most reliable strips.
If Inoue wants this, then there is an obvious opponent – and he is one of the most devastating finish in boxing, with victories on Jose Pedraza, Mario Barrios, Romero, Garcia and Frank Martin.
“Tank” Davis and Inoue both have the same height at 5 feet 5 inches. Inoue spoke of moving to the 126 pound division. Davis weighed 133.75 pounds for his last fight, a majority draw which he shared with Lamont Roach, that he would be revenge in summer. The weight gap between them is narrowed.
If Inoue wants to become a foreign superstar known to the occasional public in America, like Pacquiao, then withdraw one of the legitimate prints of the country's box office is a clear route to the summit. Apart from Inoue against Davis, Roach – a former champion at 130 pounds – could be a success. Inoue's American promoter, Top Rank, could also continue to build Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington as a future American hope.
Until then, attention to “the monster” here in the United States can remain relatively silent compared to his call in Japan, despite his pedigree as one of the best boxers in the world.
