Oftentimes after witnessing a great fight, we have the urge to ask, what’s next for the winner of said fight? And while the immediate future of pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue (and, yeah, aside from, maybe, Oleksandr Usyk, the Japanese superstar really IS) is of great interest, the next move, or moves, Ramon Cardenas makes next will prove equally as interesting.

Why?

Because the Mexican warrior who did way more than just become the second man to have decked “The Monster” sure made a massive impact on those fans who had not previously seen him fight. Cardenas, who might have given Inoue his career-hardest fight to date (begging the pardon on Nonito Donaire, who really pushed Inoue hard in their first meeting), is now a fighter in demand. Which is how it should be when a guy gives his all, thrills the fans, and really earns his pay cheque.

So, who’s next for Cardenas? One fight that almost instantly sprang to mind after seeing “Dinamita” give Inoue hell was a fight with fellow Mexican, Luis Nery. Yes, please, we may say to such a fight. Nery, who, of course, inflicted the first knockdown of Inoue’s career, has won one fight since being stopped by the super-bantamweight king, and he, like Cardenas, still believes he can reach the very top.

A fight between these two would not only be a solid match-up, but the fight would almost certainly prove to be full of action and excitement, with bunches of punches thrown from both sides. Who would win? That’s a great question. Cardenas, 26-2(14) might just be the second-best 122-pound fighter out there right now, behind Inoue. The same could be said of Nery, 36-2(28). So, it takes no real imagination when it comes to why these two should absolutely be matched together…….

It would be a great fight, of that I’m sure, and the winner would be banging on the door for another world title shot. Whether that would come against Inoue or some other fighter (say, for instance, Inoue does make the move to the 126 pound division, and thus vacates his four belts, Cardenas and Nery both have to be looked at as warriors who are more than capable of picking up the pieces), remains to be seen.

But, please, to the powers that be, make this fight!

Cardenas Vs. Nery: who wins?