Las Vegas (AP) – The four main Boxing Supergallo belts were in front of the fighters on Thursday, but Ramón Cárdenas did not watch them.
“They are not mine,” said Mexico-American when reason was requested.
Cárdenas hopes to withdraw these belts from Naoya Inoue. You will need more than luck to get there.
The sensational Japanese hunter nicknamed “Monster” is a big favorite in his return to Las Vegas. He is the first for the first time since he fought twice at the peak of the pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, first in a bubble without public then in a theater of a tourist complex.
None of this looks like the T-Mobile Arena, where Inoue, 32 years old (29-0 with 26 knockouts) will face Cárdenas on Sunday evening, a young 29-year-old, from San Antonio and who has a 26-1 file with 14 Knockouts.
The Co -Star event is another fight for the title. The Mexican champion of Rafael Espinoza Pluma de l'Omb, and who has a 26-0 file with 22 knockouts, will face Edward Vázquez (17-2, with four Knockouts) by Fort Worth, Texas.
Inoue is a favorite by -10000 in BETMGM Sportsbook and -900 to finish the fight for eliminations, but also knows that he will not have the benefit of a local crowd as he would have done in the Tokyo Dome. Inoue fights the weekend of May 5 instead of someone like Saul “Canelo” Álvarez, the favorite of the Mexican public who often occupied the center of the stage in Las Vegas at that time.
“Canelo” The fights this weekend participate in Riad, Saudi Arabia.
Inoue said he didn't know what to expect with regard to the crowd. He compared the fight with “an off-home game”.
“The ideal situation is to show American fans my boxing and win for the Knockout,” said Inoue. “But more than anything, I want everyone to see what they could not see live in Japan.”
He reached a legendary status in his homeland and has not been taken to the last round for more than five years, becoming champion of four divisions and undisputed monarch in two weight categories.
Return to the United States is an opportunity to Inoue to play in a new fans base. The fact that the competition is broadcast in ESPN and not by payment to see will help you reach a wider audience.
In the United States, fans will have the opportunity to see what all the eddies generated by the Japanese are. An impressive performance would not put it at the same level of renown in this country as his compatriot Shhehei Ohtani, but it would be a good start.
It is also an excellent opportunity for Cárdenas, who knows what a surprise victory for his career would mean. He was not in this type of environment and, since he saw Floyd Mayweather Jr. Win by Dision divided on Oscar de la Hoya in 2007 in Las Vegas, Cárdenas wanted to participate in the world of boxing.
Now he's lucky. And in the main event.
“Fighting for a world title is one thing, but fighting for the undisputed is more than I could have asked for,” said Cárdenas. “It makes me hungry. It makes me wish more.”
He is no stranger to the challenge before him and spoke with the respect of Inoue, but that does not mean that Cárdenas plans to be the boxing bag of his opponent.
“I don't come here to charge a check, and it makes me dangerous,” said Cárdenas. “If I were here to charge a check, I would not introduce myself, but I'm here and I'm here to win.”
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