Junto Nakatani was almost as nervous as Naoya Inoue’s most supportive fans when Ramon Cardenas dropped the Japanese superstar two weeks ago.

Nakatani’s anxiousness stemmed from him wanting to become the opponent that finally defeats Inoue, not the adoration of a beloved boxer who has become a national hero in their homeland.

"I was really surprised," Nakatani told The Ring, "but I think it was due to the timing and Cardenas just taking a full swing at Inoue. That probably had a lot to do with the fact that he got knocked down."

Cardenas drilled Inoue with a perfectly placed left hand as they exchanged punches late in the second round May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That shot stunningly sent Inoue to the canvas for the second time in the undisputed junior featherweight champion's past four fights.

Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) entered the ring as an absurdly heavy favorite, 80-1 according to some sportsbooks. That’s what made this knockdown of the No. 2 fighter on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list even more surprising than when former WBC bantamweight champ Luis Nery sent Inoue down during the second round of their May 2024 bout at Toyko Dome.

Inoue's determination helped him get to his feet against Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs), much like he did when Nery dropped him a year ago. Watching Inoue annihilate Nery after suffering that knockdown gave Nakatani confidence Inoue could do the same thing versus San Antonio's Cardenas.

"I was a little concerned," Nakatani said, "but after seeing the fight he had with Nery I knew he was gonna get back up, that he wouldn't just give up."

Inoue indeed recovered quickly and took Cardenas' hardest head and body shots without incident after the second round. Similar to how Inoue dismantled Nery, the four-division champion’s arsenal eventually became too much for the courageous Cardenas to handle.

The hard-hitting Inoue dropped Cardenas with a right hand late in the seventh round. He finished off the gusty underdog in the eighth, when referee Thomas Taylor stepped between them as Inoue overwhelmed him with damaging body and head shots.

Nakatani, meanwhile, is preparing for a bantamweight title unification fight against another Japanese southpaw, Ryosuke Nishida, on June 8 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Sagamihara’s Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) and Osaka’s Nishida (10-0, 2 KOs) will fight for Nakatani’s WBC and Nishida’s IBF 118-pound championships in a 12-round main event ESPN+ will stream live.

Nakatani is The Ring’s No. 1-ranked bantamweight. Nishida is the No. 2-rated contender for The Ring’s unclaimed 118-pound crown.

If Nakatani, 27, defeats Nishida, 28, he could eventually earn the opportunity to finally fight Inoue next year. If that fascinating fight happens, Nakatani will have Inoue’s comebacks against Nery (36-2, 28 KOs) and Cardenas in the back of his mind.

“He has the experience from getting knocked down and getting back up and winning a fight,” Nakatani said. “That’s a credit to him. If I knock him down, I have to make sure that he doesn’t get back up.”