Naoya Inoue is arguably the best fighter of the modern era of boxing. A two-weight undisputed champion, Inoue dismantles every opponent with performances worthy of a highlight reel. Yet, on Sunday night, it was the grit and heart of his latest challenger, Ramon Cardenas, that left a lasting impression.

After the disappointing Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero and Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull events, Inoue and Cardenas saved the weekend of boxing with an action-packed matchup that had people on the edge of their seats. The 29-year-old started the early rounds pushing Inoue and managed to score a jaw-dropping knockdown with a counter left hook in the second round, despite this being his first-ever world title fight.

However, ‘The Monster’ quickly regained his composure and adopted a more calculated approach to reassert control. In the seventh round, Naoya Inoue dropped Cardenas with a series of pinpoint right hands. Then, in the eighth, he unleashed a relentless flurry that forced referee Thomas Taylor to step in at just 45 seconds, sealing a TKO victory for Inoue.

While it may have been just another title defense for Naoya Inoue, for Cardenas, it was the defining moment of his career. Less than two years ago, he was scraping by with driving gigs for Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash—odd jobs that became his lifeline as he struggled to keep his boxing dream alive. At the time, his highest purse was just $17,000.

Everything began to change over his last four fights. The San Antonio native climbed up the ranks by taking on tougher opponents and finally earning purses that far exceeded what he was once used to. Much of this turnaround can be credited to his partnership with manager Michael Miller, whose resume includes guiding the careers of boxing standouts like Nonito Donaire, Timothy Bradley Jr., and Kelly Pavlik.

While Cardenas doesn’t do cabbing anymore, he isn’t ashamed of what he had to do to get by. A few days after the Inoue loss, he hopped on X to speak his mind about his past struggles. “Never be ashamed of making an honest living,” he wrote on X. “I no longer do @lyft, but I’ll never be embarrassed about it. Also, I need that Lyft sponsorship 💪🏽.”

This promptly earned approval from WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, who responded to Cardenas, writing, “Great performance champ!” Speaking of Stevenson, he seems to have become a fan since fight night.

Naoya Inoue and Ramon Cardenas are credited for saving the sport

Cinco de Mayo weekend was expected to deliver nonstop, high-octane boxing action. The undisputed junior featherweight champion even made his long-awaited return to the U.S. after four years to make this fight happen. Though his fight with Ramon Cardenas was spectacular, the two other marquee events on Friday and Saturday left many fans with a bitter taste. On May 2nd, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia fell short of delivering the kind of showdown that had been so heavily hyped.

May 3rd didn’t offer much redemption either, as Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull resembled more of a track meet than a fight. Fortunately, Naoya Inoue and Cardenas brought the action fans had been craving, going toe-to-toe in a bout that reignited excitement. Claressa Shields hopped on X to write, “The fights tonight on @espn@trboxing saved the boxing weekend! Great way to bring in Monday 🥊 I’m motivated!”

Meanwhile, Shakur Stevenson reacted to the fight, writing, “Bad stoppage.. Great fight tho!!”

Having said that, Ramon Cardenas seems proud of where he is today and how he got there in the first place. From surviving on scraps, he is fighting the top names in the division. What are your thoughts about his journey?