Naoya Inoue-Ramon Cardenas was a very good fight. It had momentum swings; hard punches; action in the pocket. They combined to deliver the type of fight we all want to watch.

After the previous two nights in Riyadh and New York, it was also refreshing. Not only did we watch two guys who knew how to take advantage of the opportunity they had through showing up and fighting their hearts out, they also showed that they weren’t there just to get paid. 

The night before, William Scull showed up just for the money. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who so ineffectively cut off the ring against him, was also only there for the money. The night before that, Ryan Garcia only showed up for the money against Rolando “Rolly” Romero, and Devin Haney only showed up for the money against Jose Ramirez. These guys have big fan bases – it risks destroying the sport.

Inoue and Cardenas also far from provided the only highlights from Las Vegas. Rohan Polanco looked good against Fabian Maidana; Rafael Espinoza looked good when beating Edward Vazquez, and Emiliano Vargas showed that he could become what Garcia once looked capable of. He’s a good looking, marketable young fighter who knows how to speak; he may not be an influencer like Garcia is, but being the son of Fernando Vargas can help, not least because, also unlike Garcia, it means he knows how to carry the Mexican torch. He has the makings of a real star – one who can potentially become the future of Cinco de Mayo weekends.

After he’s had a rest, I’d like to see Cardenas have one comeback fight, and then be ready for another big fight – maybe for a title. He created shockwaves by dropping Inoue; he also gave and took some good shots. Inoue steamrolls opponents who don’t belong in the ring with him; Cardenas showed he belongs, and showed more boxing ability – hand speed, shot selection and a decent game plan – than Luis Nery when Nery dropped Inoue 12 months earlier. He may not have had what it took to beat a phenom like Inoue, but his style and mentality lived up to the Mexican-American reputation, and proved him a worthy challenger on the occasion of Cinco de Mayo.

I don’t believe that being dropped again showed that Inoue is declining. At 122lbs he’s in a weight class where his opponents can hurt him; he’s also fighting at a weight where he’s unable to put them away as quickly as before, when sometimes one big shot had been enough. A fighter’s power, ultimately, is unlikely to increase when they move up in weight. He may have to break opponents down more than previously, but he is still getting stoppages – the adjustments he made, in returning to his shotgun jab to set up combinations and body shots without sacrificing aggression or excitement, were also impressive. He certainly didn’t become shy after getting dropped.

No matter who either of them fights next – Murodjon Akhmadaliev is likely for Inoue in September – boxing fans will look forward to watching. Akhmadaliev’s a crafty, durable fighter; he can provide Inoue with another entertaining test.

If Inoue moves, as he has spoken of doing, up to 126lbs he’s taking a risk. He lacks head movement, and he also has a tight stance because of how committed he is to throwing with power; while he’s far from terrible defensively, he can be hit because he’s not particularly slick; unless he adjusts at 126lbs the shots he takes might start to tell.

After Canelo-Scull, Canelo-Terence Crawford was confirmed for September 12. His performance against Scull led me to conclude he’s no longer a world-class fighter; he’s been fighting opponents he’s known he can beat and who are just happy to be there. If someone decent fights him and actually tries to win, I believe they’ll do so. Scull didn’t come close to trying.

Fights like Canelo-Crawford are supposed to be built by the fights that come before them, but after watching Canelo-Scull it’s lost its appeal. When them fighting was first being spoken about I didn’t believe Crawford, the smaller man, could win, but Canelo looked so bad against Scull that I believe he can. He couldn’t track Scull down, so him fighting Crawford feels like a waste of time.

Haney and Garcia, similarly, killed their proposed rematch with their performances. Arguably Haney-Romero should be made instead. Haney’s performance reminded me of how I was forced to fight when I’d break a hand and fight one-handed, except that he had two hands. He did the bare minimum with his lead hand and every once in a while drop a right hand and then move around a ring. He can be forgiven for that, because of his psychology after being hurt by big shots against Garcia, but after this he has to embrace the challenges he accepts. 

I want to see Haney tested against a hungry opponent similar in age to him and still in his prime – Romero could prove that opponent. Romero’s been inconsistent – he can be awkward, but he has some power – and there aren’t countless alternatives at 147lbs. If Romero isn’t rewarded with a big fight, it’ll prompt questions about why. If Haney could beat Romero, it would be a more respectable win.