
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/

























Bacolod's Genesis Servania will fight China's rising star Aketelieti Yelejian for the WBO Asia Lightweight title this November.
The highly-anticipated match up will take place on the undercard of the IBF world title fight between Pedro Taduran and Zhu DianXing at Jeju Island, South Korea.
Aketelieti Yelejian, who suffered a narrow loss to the Prince Albert Pagara in June, rebounded with an impressive IBF Asia victory against Korean Jin Su Kim in Vietnam recently. He is a very rangy and deceptive boxer known for his relaxed combinations, and he's supremely confident in his ability to take down Servania and claim the title.
"I've studied Servania's style, and I know I have the skills to outmaneuver him," Yelejian said yesterday.
"I'm excited to represent China on the international stage once more, and bring home an impressive win against a top and proven boxer like Genesis."
Servania, a seasoned veteran with a 35-4 record, boasts a reputation for toughness that has come from battles at the top level. And has still possesses some of the best body shots in the sport of boxing.
This important title shot gives the filipino the opportunity to re-establish himself on the world scene once more, and it's best remembered that his only defeats have came against world-ranked champions like Oscar Valdez and Andres Cortes.
But the China team have already confidently stated that Yelejian's youth, speed, height, and reach may all prove too much for the Filipino boxer.
Their optimism also exudes for the world title bout, where surprisingly, they are quite dismissive of Pedro Taduran's hopes of beating star Zhu DianXing. They actually rate their boxer so highly, they have predicted that the champion has no chance of retaining the belt.
These claims set up an intriguing backdrop for two massive Philippines v China feature bouts.
Fight Details :
- Date: Saturday, November 23rd
- Location: Jeju Island, South Korea
- Title: WBO Asia Lightweight
- Contenders: Aketelieti Yelejian (China) vs. Genesis Servania (Philippines)
























