LAS VEGAS – Tony Del Vecchio, who led TJ Doheny into his fight with Naoya Inoue, believes that Inoue needs to start fast if he is to resist the challenge of Ramon Cardenas and successfully defend his undisputed junior featherweight title.

Inoue and the Mexican-American are to fight on Sunday at the T-Mobile Arena on the occasion of Cinco de Mayo, when Inoue’s openness regarding his plans to fight Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September perhaps best demonstrate the extent to which Cardenas is expected to prove second best.

It is little secret that the 29-year-old Cardenas’ heritage contributed to his selection as Inoue’s opponent for the Japanese’s first fight in the US since June 2021 in conditions undermined by the Covid pandemic.

Inoue, 32, has since come to be widely recognised as one of the world’s very finest active fighters, and the respected Del Vecchio – who watched Inoue from the corner as Doheny’s trainer as recently as September – considers Cardenas to pose a threat that cannot be allowed to grow. He also recognises the significant size of the task Cardenas is confronting in the combination of Inoue’s power and tactical awareness.

“Inoue can start slow with people he knows and has respect for their power,” he told BoxingScene. “Look at TJ, for instance – he knew TJ, the four or five fights before him, were knockouts. He does respect power – he’s not stupid. [Luis] Nery found that out. 

“Having said that, if he takes his time with Cardenas, it might go against him. He’s the type of kid who will grow in confidence and can whack, so I don’t think [Inoue] has the time to sit back – he may have to throw caution to the wind and get rid of him. But it might not be that easy.

“Inoue hits harder than anybody else he’s fought – if he hits you clean, you’re staying down. I think Cardenas has a bit more boxing knowledge than that. He’s susceptible to the left hand, but having gotten up from his last one [against Bryan Acosta], it’s gold. ‘I’ve done this – I’m here. I’m gonna take him on. I’m gonna find out how bad it is and go from there.’ That’s where I think it’ll end up.

“[Inoue is] one of the most cerebral boxers I’ve ever met. The team – the plan is there, but I think they’ve also worked out plans B, C, D and E, and Inoue doesn’t need to be told when he’s gotta change it up. It’s, ‘Start with this plan’, if something needs changing up he can do it pretty quickly. When he got knocked down that time he recovered pretty quick and changed it and goes from strength to strength. He goes to a different game plan within that one round.

“His footwork is brilliant – the way he comes in and out. A la Manny Pacquiao – he’s got that adjustment on his toes. He’ll hit you, in between all that, with power – like Manny Pacquiao. The rhythm – he hits you on the way in and out, and it hurts. 

“Then, his bodywork – it’s almost like watching a Mexican go. He’s good at it, and he has massive strength in the way he throws his body shots. If you can survive that, he’ll break you down and bring it over the top and get you that way. The body work’s very, very accurate – he knows what he’s doing and the dynamics of the body and the anatomy. He’ll hit you on the liver; on the spleen; he’ll hit you where he needs to hit you.”

If Inoue rivals the great Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford for the status of the world’s finest fighter, there have been suggestions that at 122lbs – having won his first title at 108lbs – he has appeared vulnerable and is perhaps showing signs of decline.

There regardless exist plans for him to move up to featherweight in 2026, even with a recognition of his flaws.

“He gets hit, and he opens up when he throws his big shots and he’s there to be hit,” the Sydney, Australia-based Del Vecchio continued. “If you can take him on – go with him – you will hit him on the inside. As much as it’s a weakness, if a shot’s coming, he’ll wash it off – he’ll deflect, move his head just enough to not get hit so hard it’s gonna be a telling factor. But he does get hit. He opens up on his left hooks; his hands are down. 

“If it’s too easy he can get complacent. When he got knocked down [against Nery] the pace wasn’t great. All of a sudden out of nowhere he’s on his arse, and he’s had to come back and fight, which he’s done emphatically. If Ramon can put it on him, who knows?

“Looking at [Inoue] live, the size of his legs, quads and his backside – he’s got a typical Japanese make-up. You’d think he was a kickboxer more than a boxer.

“If he goes up to 126 I think he may struggle. They’re just bigger – they’re bringing the power. Does he bring the power up to 126? I don’t think so. I think the guys there will weather it.

“Cardenas has had 14 knockouts, so he does have power. Especially where he’s from, in San Antonio, Texas – they’ve got a lot of good boxers. He’s got the sparring, and the people around him. 

“[But Inoue will] be too experienced. The only thing Cardenas has got in his favour is the fact he can punch – he’s got some power. Is he the biggest hitter in that division? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. But he can hit. Inoue will try to bank on that, get him to miss, and then catch him on the way in, and that could be the end – that’s the way I see it.”