LAS VEGAS -- Heading into Sunday evening, what was supposed to be one of the biggest weekends in boxing had turned into a dud with top stars Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney failing to impress. Fortunately, Naoya Inoue answered the call and saved the weekend with an electrifying performance against Ramon Cardenas, who deserves a ton of credit for bringing the fight to "The Monster." Inoue successfully retained his undisputed junior featherweight championship with an exciting eighth-round stoppage of Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena, cementing himself as a must-see fighter. Though he might not have the social media following of Garcia or the global star power of Canelo, Inoue's performance Sunday might have secured his place as the most exciting fighter in the sport.
The fight had everything that makes a great contest. Inoue got off the canvas in Round 2, and Cardenas showed incredible grit and determination before finally succumbing to Inoue's overwhelming pressure. Most importantly, it was a crowd-pleasing fight that fans will remember as ESPN's No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter saved boxing from what appeared to be a disastrous weekend.
Inoue will continue to produce more of these performances as he pursues history. Despite being one of three men's boxers who have been undisputed in two weight classes, Inoue isn't content and has teased a move to featherweight soon, where he will attempt to become undisputed in an unprecedented third weight class. His next bout will be against Murodjon "MJ" Akhmadaliev in Tokyo in September, and he is expected to have a showdown with fellow Japanese fighter, bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani, in 2026.
But what makes Inoue special is that he doesn't just come to win, he aims to please by throttling the opposition and ending the contest before it gets to the judges. His 90% knockout rate is impressive for an undersized fighter, and he has piled up the finishes against tougher opposition, such as Stephen Fulton, Marlon Tapales and Luis Nery, among others. He is riding an 11-fight knockout streak -- all in title bouts -- and has shown no signs of slowing down. Add in the fact that he generates considerable power from the smaller weight classes and you have a clear recipe for a global superstar who is aesthetically pleasing and willing to be aggressive in the ring, unlike some of his counterparts who competed this weekend.
Inoue isn't just one of the best fighters in the world, he's one of the most exciting.