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In victory, Inoue said Cardenas provided him the exact type oif fight he most enjoys.
"He was very much aware that I like to brawl." he said.
Of the knockout he endured in the second round, Inoue said, “I was very surprised," and determined to be aware of Cardenas' power left. “I got a little loose, I made sure I didn’t get that close again.”
He said he was up for Cardenas' power: “I knew he was tough. Boxing is like that.”
Inoue will next meet former unified 122lbs champion Murodjon "M.J." Akhmadaliev Setember 14 in Tokyo.
His performance on the heels of two did cards in Times Square and Saudi Arabiaa was one of the best Cinco de Mayo cards iun years. He said returning to the U.S. "was supporting and great, and I hope I was able to entertain them.
“This was the [weekend's] most attractive fight.”
Cardenas was also thrilled by the bout.
"I feel great. The fight was a tough fight. I said it every interview that he's one of the toughest fighters in the world. I knew I had to keep fighting [after the early knockdown], that he'd keep coming. It wasn't so much the power, but the overwhelmingness, throwing seven punches at a time."
The showing brought great pride to Cardenas. "I want to bring boxing back to what it was: the best fighting the best.
"We set the stage for everybody else, we set the tempo. The next fight up has to sell out, because what we did was legendary."