
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/

















































