Naoya Inoue has back-to-back fight dates.
The Japanese megastar has agreed on deals to defend his undisputed super bantamweight title in May and September against Ramon Cardenas and Murodjon Akhmadaliev, respectively.
Uncrowned’s Keith Idec was first with the news.
Promoters have agreed for Naoya Inoue to fight Murodjon Akhmadaliev on 9/14 in Tokyo if Inoue beats Ramon Cardenas on 5/4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. WBA could have stripped Inoue if they didn’t strike a deal on step-aside $ and Akhmadaliev’s purse. Story soon @ringmagazine.
— Keith Idec (@Idecboxing) March 6, 2025
Inoue vs. Cardenas will headline a show promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank on ESPN on Sunday, May 4, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The show concludes a bumper week of boxing that also includes a triple-header of fights from Times Square featuring Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez on May 2, and Canelo Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight title bout with William Scull in Riyadh on May 3.
Should Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs), Uncrowned’s No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, beat Cardenas in May, he will then defend his undisputed championship against Akhmadaliev on an Ohashi Promotions bill on Sept. 14 in Tokyo.
Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs) is ranked No. 2 with the WBA. He has won 14 fights in a row since his lone career defeat to Danny Flores in 2017. The San Antonio native, like Inoue, has already fought once in 2025, winning a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Bryan Acosta.
Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs) is the WBA’s interim champion and designated mandatory challenger. The Uzbek boxer previously held the unified title in the weight class until he was upset by Marlon Tapales in 2023. Akhmadaliev worked his way back up to the mandatory position and claimed the interim strap in December, knocking out Ricardo Espinoza in the third round.
Inoue, a two-division undisputed champion, successfully defended his belts in January against late-replacement opponent Ye Joon Kim. He hopes to fight four times in 2025, and should he beat Cardenas and Akhmadaliev in May and September, he could cap off the year in Riyadh in December potentially against Junto Nakatani or Nick Ball.
