Ramón Cárdenas has turned on a storm of fire in the world of boxing, accusing referee Thomas Taylor to unjust Naoya Inoue from a devastating knockout in his unnegasted fight for the title of Super Bantam weight on May 4 in T-Mobile Arena. In a heated press conference on May 6, Cárdenas relieved his frustration, stating: “It’s not just for me! I had ended in the second round, and the referee stole my moment!”
Cárdenas Scandalous Claim
Cárdenas, who suffered a defeat of Tko of Eighth Round before the undefeated Inoue, said the dramatic second round where his left hook dropped the Japanese star for the second time in his career. “I stepped on clean, perfectly timed, perfectly located,” said Cárdenas, his voice rises from emotion. “I was standing, and the referee intervened as if I were in trouble. It is not fair to me! The native of San Antonio believes that the intervention of the referee gave him a crucial time to recover, allowing” the monster “to recover control and eventually stop the fight with a flood of blows in the eighth round.
The controversy comes from the fall of the second round, where Inoue fought to beat the Count, but was allowed to continue after a brief pause. Cardenas argues that the referee’s decision to let the round end instead of stopping the fight stole a possible qualifying victory, a resonant feeling for some in his corner that felt that Inoue was vulnerable. Inoue domino, landing 57 of 103 power strokes in the back rounds by compute, but Cárdenas insists that the result was unfairly altered from the beginning.
A fight spoiled by the debate
The fight, which attracted 8,474 fans, was a roller coaster, with the brave performance of Cardenas that earned him new fans despite the loss. Inoue’s return of the fall showed his resistance, but Cardenas’s accusation has divided opinions. The publications found in X reveal a divided community, and some fans agreed that the arrest was premature, while others defend the call of the referee to protect Inoue. According to the reports, Cardenas coach Joel Díaz told him after the seventh round that he had one more round to turn him around, but the unemployment of the eighth round of Taylor has fed Cardenas’s belief that he was deceived by historical discomfort.
Inoue, who improved 30-0 with 27 kos, dismissed the statements after the fight, saying: “I took things calmly and put together”, but the accusation has thrown a shadow on his fourth defense of the title. Cardenas, now 26-2, plans to appeal to the Athletic Commission of the State of Nevada, arguing that the referee’s decision altered the fight of the fight and cost him the undisputed title.
What is coming?
The consequences of Cárdenas’s accusation have intensified scrutiny by officiating in high -risk episodes. Inoue will face Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September, but the controversy could lead to a demand for revenge if the appeal of Cárdenas wins traction. For now, the boxing world is debating whether justice was served or if Cárdenas was stolen from a moment that defines the race. The tension of that second round clash continues echoing, leaving fans and combatants by questioning the thin line between protection and equity in the ring.t
