Ramon Cardenas is fully aware of the \u201cMonster\u201d moment in front of him. After all that has come before it, he isn\u2019t about to let the immensity of it break his focus on what needs to be done.<\/p>\n
Cardenas is gearing up to take on undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue on May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas \u2013 a fight that he had envisioned but, until very recently, seemed from the outside to be far out of his reach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been mentally preparing to fight Inoue for a long time,\u201d Cardenas said. \u201cI knew I’d eventually get a big fight if I kept winning. And here we are, a shot at the undisputed champion of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cardenas has inarguably done his part to put himself in this position, winning 14 in a row \u2013 including, most recently, a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Bryan Acosta in February. A week later, Cardenas received a call from his manager asking if he wanted a shot at the fighter many believe to be the current top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.<\/p>\n
Said Cardenas: \u201cI had to jump at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But it is, objectively, an Everest-like challenge for San Antonio\u2019s Cardenas, 26-1 (14 KOs). Not only will this be his first world title opportunity, but it also marks an almost-incalculable leap in opposition. He has never faced anyone in the ring quite like the \u201cMonster,\u201d Inoue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this is the type of fight and moment that can eat people up, but the ring doesn\u2019t change,\u201d Cardenas said. \u201cYou can put it in the middle of the ocean. You can put it in the middle of the desert. The ring is the ring. It has four corners. I see it like that and understand the magnitude of this fight. I asked for this moment, and now I have to take advantage of it.<\/p>\n
Cardenas\u2019 timing couldn\u2019t have been better. Inoue, who will have been absent from the United States for almost four years, chose this start to make a return that American fans have increasingly clamored for. He most recently wiped out Ye Joon Kim inside four rounds in January at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, his favored venue during an eight-fight stretch of performances on home soil. He is on a 10-fight knockout streak and will essentially be reaching out to a new market in a Cinco De Mayo weekend date that will be all his own, the third in a series of major events that weekend. The magnitude of it all is lost on no one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Inoue\u2019s first fight in America in four years, so I know he\u2019s motivated to show out,\u201d Cardenas said. \u201cI\u2019m prepared for the very best version of Naoya Inoue.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has at least one believer: Trainer Joel Diaz, despite Cardenas\u2019 modest knockout percentage, raves about his punching prowess.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis kid has devastating power in both hands,\u201d Diaz said of Cardenas. \u201cHe is one of the fighters in boxing who can hurt you in the first or last round because he hits so hard. He moves really well, has good defense, and will rise to the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Ramon catches Inoue with either the right or the left, he will hurt him. We know that Inoue can be hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inoue was indeed battered by Nonito Donaire, who broke his orbital bone in their 2019 fight, and dropped by Luis Nery on a flash knockdown last May. And yet, Inoue gave as good as he got in both those fights, ultimately winning both convincingly \u2013 along with every one of his other pro outings.<\/p>\n
If the scale of the task has fazed Cardenas in the least, then he has one helluva poker face. Or maybe he simply has seen enough of the other side to not wrap both arms around this opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started doing Lyft, DoorDash and Uber to make ends meet,\u201d Cardenas said. \u201cTo fight for a world title is one thing, but to fight for the undisputed championship is the ultimate prize. For me to be in this position shows my work ethic and self-belief because I knew I was going to get here.”<\/p>\n
Diaz saw that spark in Cardenas. He knows that, whether or not his fighter is a match for the Monster, he\u2019ll leave nothing on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly in his career, he fought for free,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cAll he wanted was a soda and some tacos after the fight. He started from nothing. He\u2019s here, he loves the sport, and we\u2019re going to shock the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason\u00a0Langendorf\u00a0is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, was a contributor to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be found at LinkedIn<\/a> and followed on\u00a0<\/a>X<\/a>\u00a0and Bluesky<\/a>.<\/p>\n