San Antonio fighter Ramon Cardenas taking on undisputed 122-pound champion Naoya Inoue on May 4 in Las Vegas.
Ramon Cardenas had just picked up his food order and was walking back to his car when his phone buzzed. Michael Miller was on the line. A respected litigator by trade, Miller has made a name for himself in the boxing business as a fight manager, with a client list that includes 18 world champions, from San Antonio ’s own “Jesse” James Leija to Timothy Bradley , Kelly Pavlik and Nonito Donaire .
Miller called with startling news. He had secured a dream fight for Cardenas against Japanese legend and undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue on May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, should he be interested. The notion left Cardenas choking on his chalupas. “Aw, you’re with me! You’re with me!” Cardenas shouted in disbelief. Miller is not known for being a prankster. Still, he couldn’t resist having a little fun with his fighter. Should he be interested? Miller said when he met Cardenas two years ago, Inoue was all he talked about. “It’s huge. Huge for Ramon. Huge for San Antonio,” Miller said. Cardenas, 29, will attempt to join Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Mario Barrios on the Alamo City’s list of world champions. Rodriguez currently is the WBC’s 115-pound, super flyweight champion, while Barrios owns the WBC’s 147-pound, welterweight belt. Inoue, 31, is at or near the top of everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Some say he’s the best fighter in the world, based on his punching prowess and pure knockout power. His nickname is “Monster.” Many in the sport have been clamoring for a Rodriguez-Inoue fight, featuring the Japanese icon against the 25-year-old budding superstar from San Antonio. But Inoue fights at 122 pounds, where he reigns as WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO champion, with sights supposedly set on moving up to 126, while Rodriguez campaigns at 115. “Bam” may get his shot at Inoue one day, but Cardenas, a natural 122-pounder, is up first. The fight came about when Inoue’s original opponent, Alan Picasso , of Mexico City, turned down the opportunity to take on Inoue. That’s when Top Rank, Inoue’s Las Vegas-based promoter, contacted Cardenas’ promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz. He and Miller jumped at the chance. Cardenas comes in as a red-hot fighter, having won 14 straight fights. Included in that streak is a spectacular one-punch knockout of Jesus Ramirez Rubio on a ProBox TV card in Florida, two months after he shattered the jaw of Israel Rodriguez Picazo, also in Florida. That’s good enough to earn several top 10 rankings for Cardenas, including No. 2 by the WBA, No. 8 by the IBF and No. 10 by the WBO. Still, he figures to be a huge underdog against Inoue. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds. The matchup has been taking a beating on social media. Cardenas has been called a “bottom feeder,” a “complete unknown” and “stay-busy” opponent for Inoue in various online accounts. “It seems like if you’re not well known and people don’t know you, they automatically think you suck,” Cardenas said. “It is what it is. I’m definitely going in there to win the fight. It’s boxing. Anything can happen.” Cardenas is already in California for training camp. He acknowledges it’s going to be difficult finding sparring partners who can approximate Inoue’s power. “Not many people are giving Ramon much of a chance,” Miller said. “I hope Inoue feels he same way. I hope he looks past him takes him lightly. He may be in for a big surprise.” For the most part, Cardenas said he’s trying to treat this as just another fight. At least it’s in the U.S. and not Japan. “I’m grateful for the opportunity, but it doesn’t matter where we fight. A ring is a ring,” said Cardenas, who will earn a healthy six-figure payday for the fight. “I know he’s a great fighter. But I only have to be great for 36 minutes. That’s all I have to do.”
WBO IBF WBA Top Rank Ramon Cardenas Naoya Inoue Michael Miller Alan Picasso Mario Barrios Jesse ``Bam'' Rodriguez Ramon Rodriguez-Inoue Bam Timothy Bradley Jesse'' James Leija Nonito Donaire Kelly Pavlik Sampson Lewkowicz Israel Rodriguez Picazo Jesus Ramirez Rubio San Antonio Las Vegas Japanese Cardenas T-Mobile Arena Alamo City Mexico City California U.S. Japan Florida Probox Monster
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