
Two men have given Naoya Inoue real trouble lately.
Now they could be fighting each other.
Japan's Junto "Big Bang" Nakatani is reportedly set to return in February on DAZN — and the name in the other corner is Ramon Cardenas.
Yes. THAT Ramon Cardenas.
The Texan who put Inoue on the seat of his pants with a left hook in round two in Las Vegas last year, before the Monster got up and stopped him in the eighth.
Nakatani took Inoue the full 12 at Tokyo Dome in May. He lost the decision — his first defeat — and came away with a fractured left orbital bone.
The good news ? Japanese reports say the fracture has healed, and he plans to be back sparring in December.
Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz says Cardenas has a deal with Nakatani's promoter Akihiko Honda. The WBC has them ranked No. 1 and No. 2 at super bantamweight.
So what's on the line ?
If Inoue moves up to featherweight as planned — the full WBC title. If not, an interim belt.
Either way, the winner walks out as the man next in line at 122.
Cardenas isn't short of confidence either :
"ONCE AGAIN YALL TRIPPING IF YALL THINK IM COMING TO LOSE. SEE YALL SOON."
A three-division world champion coming off his first loss.
A slugger who already knows how to put a pound-for-pound king on the floor.
No tune-up. No easy road back.
Big Bang is going straight back into the fire !!
🇯🇵 JUNTO NAKATANI (32-1, 24 KOs) vs RAMON CARDENAS (28-2, 15 KOs) 🇺🇸
🥊 Super Bantamweight | WBC title (interim or vacant)
📅 February 2027 (target date, not yet officially announced)
📺 DAZN (reported)
Stay tuned !
Sources:
Bad Left Hook, Patrick Stumberg (9 Nov 2026) — https://www.badlefthook.com/boxing-news/120257/junto-nakatani-vs-ramon-cardenas-reportedly-eyed-for-february-on-dazn
MiddleEasy, Jake Blend (9 Nov 2026) — https://middleeasy.com/boxing/junto-nakatani-ramon-cardenas-february2027-dazn-report/
BoxingNews24, Tom Galm (10 Nov 2026) — https://www.boxingnews24.com/2026/11/ramon-cardenas-tests-junto-nakatani-after-inoue-loss/






































December 24, 2024
Dear Partners,
I would like to take this moment to first wish you and your family a safe and blessed holiday season.
This annual report serves as a benchmark for our progress and a commitment to transparency in our operations. In 2024, a notable decline occurred in the number of professional boxing events held domestically. This downturn was primarily attributed to the cessation of grassroots events by VSP Promotions, a key promoter that played a crucial role in introducing new talent to the domestic professional boxing scene.
The challenges faced in organizing professional boxing events in Vietnam intensified in 2024 compared to the previous year, a reflection of the current market conditions. We anticipate this trend to persist in 2025 due to the continued existence of an unsupportive environment for event organizers, fostered by the local amateur boxing federation.
VBO organized the gathering of 10 commissions in Asia in 8/2024. It is our view that Asia has a fundamental challenge in how boxing is managed and supervised. Standardization and coherent cooperation models that have actionable and measurable outcomes will need to be developed in order to create more regional opportunities for the industry participants.
DOMESTIC REPORT 2024
INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2024
The VBO remains dedicated to securing international fight opportunities for Vietnamese boxers within safe environments. While the organization provides recommendations, the final decision to accept a fight rests solely with the boxers and their coaching teams.
OFFICIALS OF VBO REPORT 2024
VBO collects detailed performance data of each official in their assigned roles at every event. We compile these data for use towards training requirements to further improve their performance.
We hope that 2025 will bring more opportunities for the boxers between partnering countries and jointly continue to improve the quality of our officials. Have a wonderful holiday season! See you all in 2025.
Sincerely,
Lim Song
President of Vietnam Boxing Organization










