LAS VEGAS – Marco Antonio Barrera considers Naoya Inoue “pretty close to invincible” – but wants to see him fight Rafael Espinoza next.

The Mexican icon is in Las Vegas to support Espinoza, who on Sunday at the T-Mobile Arena, on the undercard of Inoue-Ramon Cardenas, defends his WBO featherweight title against Edward Vazquez.

It was Cardenas, the 29-year-old Mexican-American, who was identified as a suitable opponent for Inoue on the occasion of Cinco de Mayo weekend – one on which Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, against William Scull, will fight far from Vegas, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The 31-year-old Espinoza, also of Mexico, transformed his career with his two victories over Robeisy Ramirez, but throughout the course of those victories demonstrated that, particularly at 6ft 1ins, he represents a high-risk opponent at 126lbs.

Inoue, 32, has also, for perhaps the first time, looked vulnerable at 122lbs, and yet another move up in weight for a fighter who won his first title at 108lbs hasn’t yet been ruled out, even if it shouldn’t be overlooked that he is expected to next fight Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev back in his home country of Japan on September 14.

“Whenever there’s a Mexican-American, or a Mexican, in the ring, you gotta give them a chance,” the retired Barrera told BoxingScene. “The benefit of the doubt, ‘cause he’s gonna come out and give him the best. There’s nobody invincible, but Inoue’s pretty close right now.

“The big opportunities in life are very limited. You can count ‘em on one hand, and I think this is a big shot for [Cardenas]. 

“He’s got to come out and look for the win. He has no other option but to give his best. But if he gets a really good fight, the people are gonna look at him, and that opens doors.

“He likes to interchange. He likes to get in there and fight. He doesn’t take a good punch – he’s what they call a little ‘chinny’. 

“It’s a lot [to fight Inoue with questionable punch resistance]. You’ve got to do a really smart fight.

“[Inoue is] very, very good. The way he attacks; his power; everything, really. 

“Everybody’s saying that Inoue’s going to win. I just want – may the best man win.”

BoxingScene reported, in the hours before the grand arrivals for Inoue and Cardenas at Vegas’ MGM Grand, of plans for Inoue to first fight Akhmadaliev, and then to fight again in December. Junto Nakataini remains widely considered his most appealing opponent. Espinoza, regardless, is the favourite against the 29-year-old Vazquez.

“I’ll tell you a good fight for Inoue – ‘Divino’ Espinoza,” Barrera continued. “That would be a good rival for him.

“That’s why I want everybody to come out and watch this event. It’s going to be a very big, important event, and after that, people might be asking for it.

“He’s a boxer who’s disciplined; fast; he hits, and I think it would be a great fight with Inoue. The reach and his height – it would be very hard for Inoue to get in and reach him, and I think this would be a fight everybody would want to watch.

“It doesn’t matter whether they give [credit for beating Ramirez] to him or not. He won. He came up against the best fighter in the 126lbs division.”