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Naoya Inoue And Ramon Cardenas Salvaged Boxing's Meek Weekend

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Naoya Inoue And Ramon Cardenas Salvaged Boxing's Meek Weekend

Ramon Cardenas saved boxing. Or, he at least made the biggest weekend the sport has seen in years memorable for good reasons. But damn, he took a beating along the way.

Cardenas, obviously overmatched by Japanese opponent Naoya Inoue in everything but heart, knocked the mythically powerful champ down with a lightning-quick and savage left hook in the second round of their thrilling and brutal super bantamweight title fight Sunday in Las Vegas. And for a few moments, the 29-year-old, 122-pound Texan seemed on the verge of pulling off one of boxing’s biggest all-time upsets. 

But Inoue got off the canvas and brushed himself off, and the bell ending the round sounded just seconds later. And by the next round, Inoue got back to doing what he does: knocking other little guys out. 

Cardenas, despite taking power punches to every inch from his abdomen to his forehead from the Far Eastern assassin, was not only still standing, but throwing bombs up until referee Thomas Taylor saved him from himself and more punishment from the all-time great Inoue by waving an end to the fight in the eighth round. At the time of the stoppage, Inoue was up 68-63 on the cards of all three ringside judges. That means Cardenas won only the second round. But he’s gonna get work after this performance.

“I’m not ashamed of losing, because I went out on my shield,” Cardenas, now 26-2, said after his first loss in eight years. “He’s a fucking great fighter.”

In retaining his title, Inoue improved to 30-0, with an amazing 27 knockouts. At 32 years old, he’s long been a rock star in his homeland, but only recently began getting his due, or even noticed, by the world outside. This was his first fight in the U.S. in four years. Boxing needed Inoue’s performance. It came at the end of a rare three-day stint where more of the world was looking at the sport than usual. And what a let-down the rest of the weekend was.

The worst came during the Friday Night Fights portion, bizarrely held in Times Square. As it turned out, the setting was the only part of the entire dreadful shindig that provided any drama. None of the three billed fights was worth the time, let alone the $59.99 pay-per-view fee. 

The opener, Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr., was the only fight on the bill that going in was expected to be close. It was anything but. Lopez kept his super lightweight titles by winning a thrill-free unanimous decision; one judge gave just two of the 12 rounds to Barboza. 

Saying Lopez-Barboza was the best bout ain’t saying anything good. The card’s low point came with Devin Haney’s match with Jose Carlos Ramirez. Haney, the 140-pound champ, was predicted to win in a walk, and did, but seemed like he was auditioning for Dancing with the Stars from the opening bell onward. He hadn’t fought since getting pounded in a loss to Ryan Garcia in Brooklyn a year ago, and showed throughout that he had too much talent and too many tools for Ramirez to hit him. But Haney also showed zero interest in ever hitting Ramirez. 

Jim Lampley, a boxing hall of fame broadcaster who worked the pay-per-view broadcast after a seven-year hiatus from ringside calls, provided some entertainment by flaunting his disgust. After hearing the ring announcer declare the Haney-Ramirez winner using his nickname as “Devin …’The Dream’… Haney!” Lampley huffed: “In order to dream, you must be asleep. And Devin just put a lot of people to sleep.”

Hell, come to think of it, Dancing with the Stars has more violence than Haney’s bout. 

Lampley and lots of others who witnessed Ryan Garcia’s upset loss to Rolly Romero in the Times Square nightcap described it with some version of “stunning.” But what will be remembered most about Garcia’s performance is its wholesale lacklusterness. Losing isn’t a dealbreaker between boxing fans and their heroes; Garcia’s star only rose even while getting KO’d by a liver shot from Tank Davis in their riveting fistic chess match over seven rounds in 2023. Cheating isn’t a guaranteed demerit either; Garcia got popped for dirty pee after the Haney fight and had to serve a year’s suspension, but he came out more popular than ever. Nah, giving up in the ring is the only unforgivable sin. And Garcia committed it. 

Like Inoue, Garcia got put down in the second round by a big left hook. Two hooks, in fact! But whereas Inoue regrouped and reloaded, the long-troubled Garcia seemed to decide in the moment that he’d had enough of boxing. He very visibly stopped trying to win. Garcia had the physical tools to survive until the final bell, and Romero, who had to realize early that the fight was his, seemed content to just win easy rounds from the celebrity non-combatant he shared a ring with. As Romero was announced as the winner by large margins on the scorecards and his hand was raised, Garcia clapped politely. Garcia’s Friday showing is the sort of performance top-flight fighters typically don’t return from. Something’s up. Absent an as-yet-unannounced physical issue that held Garcia back after the second round, it’s hardly a given that Garcia will ever even appear in a big fight again. If he wins one, that would be a real stunner.

Garcia said before all the Friday night fiascos that he and Haney had already signed for a rematch to be held later this year. That event’s prognosis is now sketchy for reasons beyond Garcia losing and likely tanking his career. Is Haney a desirable quantity for any promoter at this point? The live attendance for the Times Square card was only about 300 people due to limited space. Haney’s next fight, no matter where it’s held or how big the venue, deserves about the same size crowd.

Since the Times Square ring hosted less engagement than you’d find at a monastery, fight fans immediately looked toward Riyadh for salvation. That’s where a night later, Canelo Alvarez took on unknown William Scull for the super middleweight title. Alas, the Canelo-Scull fight, which like the Big Apple bash was a PPV event put on by Turki Al-Sheikh, a Saudi minister and boxing’s new bottomless-pocketed overlord, didn’t do anything but stick the sport deeper into its doldrums. What little gravitas the fight had coming in was done away with by an interview with Terence Crawford shown on the broadcast just before the ring walks. The Omaha-based Crawford, always in the conversation of boxing’s pound-for-pound kings, disclosed that he and Canelo had already contractually agreed to fight each other in September. Given how much of a financial hit Garcia’s implosion gave promoters a day earlier, one could envision Turki telling Scull not to get in the way of what sure looks to be the biggest fight of the year. Scull came into the ring sculpted and with obvious physical skills. But for whatever reason, he fought like he’d taken the Hippocratic oath. Scull, as a good heel would, claimed he won the fight after being announced as the unanimous decision loser. Canelo, like anybody who shelled out cash for this dreck, was in no mood to celebrate. The Mexican kingpin was just steamed at Scull’s tactics.

“I hate fighters like that,” Canelo said.

Thank the heavens the weekend’s big boxing binge ended with Inoue-Cardenas, its only non-PPV headliner. “I like to brawl,” explained Inoue after his hand was raised. At least there’s still one big-name fighter out there who does.

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Aggies Fend Off Vols in Five-Set Epic to Advance in NCAA Tournament

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December 6, 2025

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TEMPE, Arizona – At first, it seemed like Utah State volleyball would waltz into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Then, it seemed like the USU’s dream season might end in heartbreaking fashion.

But in a do-or-die fifth set, the Aggies fought off a furious comeback from seventh-seeded Tennessee to claim a thrilling 3-2 (25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 18-25, 15-11) victory in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. This is the first NCAA Tournament victory for Utah State volleyball since recording wins in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001.

With the win, Utah State will now face No. 2 Arizona State on Friday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. (MT). 

Sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe engineered the Aggie offense to a .312 hitting percentage, recording 57 assists. Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow led USU with 16 kills on a team-best .560 hitting percentage while sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen added 14 kills. The duo also tied for the team lead with four blocks apiece with each player also registering a solo block. Sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski also had 14 kills and sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic stuffed the stat sheet with 12 kills, six digs, three blocks and three assists. Junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson led the Aggie defense with 16 digs, also leading the team with two service aces.

Head coach Rob Neilson

“What a match. Hats off to that Tennessee team. We gave them all they could handle in those first two sets and then they responded. They’re a great team obviously, well coached and talented, physical. Then you get to a fifth set and it’s a coin flip. I thought we made enough plays and battled and came through adversity. I’m really proud of this group and I’m excited that we get to play some more volleyball together.”

Set One

The Aggies came roaring out of the gates, registering kills on nine of their first 13 attacks en route to taking a 10-5 lead to force a Tennessee timeout. Štiglic posted three kills during the early run, part of a 7-0-10 line for the Croatian in the opening set. Out of the timeout, the Vols responded with a 9-2 stretch to take a lead midway through the frame and force an Aggie timeout. USU stemmed the tide with a kill from redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin that preceded a block by Barlow and Helgesen. A Helgesen kill and Thompson ace then made it a 4-0 Aggie run to deliver the advantage back to Utah State. The Vols scored back-to-back points to tie it at 16 before the teams alternated the ensuing six rallies. With the set tied at 19, the Aggies closed the frame on a 6-0 burst. Helgesen ignited the run with a kill before teaming with Larkin on a block to firmly give the Aggies control late in the set. Štiglic then delivered back-to-back kills to clinch the 25-19 win to open the match. Utah State hit .382 in the opening frame while holding Tennessee to .188 to take a 1-0 lead.

Set Two

Utah State again came out strong, using a 14-3 onslaught to grab hold of the second set. Simovski powered the on-fire start with five kills while Thompson added her second ace of the match to help build a double-digit cushion. The Aggies went a perfect 8-of-8 on attacks to begin the frame. Tennessee closed the gap with a 6-1 stretch, forcing a USU timeout. A Helgesen kill halted the Vols’ momentum before Utah State went on to close the set on a 5-1 run featuring a pair of kills from Barlow and a Helgesen ace plus a block by Štiglic and Barlow to help seal the 25-15 win. The Aggies improved on both their offensive and defensive marks from the first set, hitting .444 while holding Tennessee to .171 to go up 2-0 for the match.

Set Three

The Aggies again went up early as Barlow recorded three-straight kills and then a solo block as part of a personal 4-0 run to put USU ahead 7-4. The Vols, however, answered back with an 11-4 stretch to take a late four-point lead in the set. The Aggies battled back within two at 21-19 with Simovski supplying a pair of kills but Tennessee went on a 4-1 run to take the set, 25-20, to extend the match to a fourth set.

Set Four

The Vols maintained momentum to begin the fourth set, opening up a 10-5 lead out of the gates. USU scored three-straight points with Larkin and Helgesen both registering kills to trim the deficit to two points. Tennessee answered again, scoring seven of the next 10 rallies to extend their lead to six points. The Aggies were unable to build a comeback attempt as the Vols secured a 25-18 win to send the match to a winner-takes-all fifth set.

Fifth Set

In a pivotal start to the set, Utah State went up 5-2 courtesy of a pair of Simovski kills and three attacking errors from the Vols. The Aggies led by four points at 12-8 following two kills from Helgesen before Tennessee clawed back within one after three-straight points. USU regained the advantage from the defensive side as Barlow and Helgesen combined for a block to make it 13-11. Barlow then killed back-to-back balls off the slide to secure the 15-11 victory and send the Aggies into the second round.

Quick Notes

  • Utah State also extended their overall winning streak to 22 matches, the third-longest streak in program history, trailing only a 23-game streak spanning the team’s 1978 national title season and 1979, and a program-record 26-game streak in 1978. USU’s streak is now tied for the third-longest active streak in the nation.

  • Utah State hit .312 for the match, their 11th-straight match recording a .250 hitting percentage or better. The Aggies are now hitting .274 on the season, a mark which would break the current program record of .238 set in 2016.

  • Larkin added another eight kills on a .500 hitting percentage plus two blocks and a career-high three digs.

  • Sophomore outside hitter Delaney Lawson and freshman defensive specialist Sadie Warren provided key defensive contributions with eight and six digs, respectively. 

  • Utah State is now 3-6 in the NCAA Tournament all-time, recording their first win since defeating BYU in Salt Lake City in 2001. USU also defeated Missouri the year prior in Provo, Utah. 

  • The Aggies are now 19-13-1 all-time against SEC teams and recorded their first win over the conference since beating Alabama in 2003.

  • Utah State improved to a 29-4 record during Kofe’s career when she records at least 10.0 assists per set.

Up Next
The Aggies continue play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against second-seeded Arizona State on Friday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. (MT). The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

 – USU –



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Women’s Track and Field Look to Continue Success as a Squad this Winter

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December 6, 2025

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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. –  The Hartford Women’s Track and Field team look to build off of a strong season in the spring as the team moves into the indoor portion of the schedule. Last year, the team found success both indoors and outdoors with strong placements in marquee meets such as 2nd in the Conference of New England (CNE) Championships, 12th and tied for 14th in the NCAA DIII Championships, and 17th and 25th in the NEICAAA All-New England Championships.

New Year, Similar Squad

With Head Coach Connor Green returning for his third year and the team only graduating two seniors a year ago, Hartford will be running out a whole host of familiar faces this season. 31 out of the 48 Hawks will be back for Coach Green with eight entering into their senior season. Amongst the group of notable returners is Lauren Duffy (Southington, Conn.) who is coming off of a standout freshman campaign last season. Duffy finished with seven top ten finishes last season with two top three finishes at The Reggie Open. 

“Our team expectations are to just stay consistent, disciplined, and work on the little things a lot. Like being in the weight room, getting consistent miles in, and also hurdle mobility, injury prevention stuff, just to stay healthy throughout the season.” Duffy said.

 

Another key returner for the Hawks is junior Leslie Samuel (Montauk, N.Y.) who is coming off a season in which she was named to the USTFCCCA All-Region Team.

“I am mostly excited to get back into it. I didn’t compete last year, so I am excited to get back to where I am, and make it to nationals hopefully.” Samuel said.

 

A third key returner for the Hawks is Tommie Barker (Canton, Conn.). Barker last season was nominated to the CNE All-Conference Third Team for her/their performance in both hammer throw and shotput.

“I have high expectations for this year, given it’s my senior year. I’m hoping to keep improving and PR consistently at almost every meet. My main goal is to make it to all New Englands this year, and I think it’s very doable! I’m super excited for indoor and even more so for outdoor! Between lifting and practicing consistently for the past few months, I think we’re all at our best going into this season. Practice makes progress, and we’ve had a lot of time to make some amazing progress!” Barker said. 

Season Outlook:

The Hawks will begin their season at the Yale invitational on Dec. 6th. Following that event they will take on the Wesleyan University Invitational on Jan. 24th. They will also compete in the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University on Jan. 31st. The Hawks will close out the indoor track and field season at the NCAA Division III New England Championships in Boston at the New England at the Track of New Balance

For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

 





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Nebraska volleyball vs. Long Island live updates, stats and highlights

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December 6, 2025

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Updated Dec. 5, 2025, 7:40 p.m. CT

Nebraska volleyball (30-0) begins the road to Kansas City Friday with the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA tournament. The Huskers play host for the Regional and take on the Long Island Sharks (20-8) for the opening round.

The match commences after San Diego takes Kansas State at 4:30 p.m. CT. The winner of each match advances to the second, which is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.

Nebraska comes in with its first perfect regular season in 25 years along with its third consecutive Big Ten title. The Huskers also enter the tournament with the top offense and defense in the nation, standing with a .352 hitting percentage and holding opponents to a .125. 





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Commodore Track & Field Schedule Revealed – Vanderbilt University Athletics – Official Athletics Website

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December 6, 2025

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Director of Vanderbilt cross country and track and field Althea Thomas released the program’s 2025–26 schedule, which features four home and 11 away meets.

The Commodores kick off the new season at home with the Commodore Winter Challenge on Saturday at the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center. Two more indoor home meets, the Vanderbilt Invitational and Music City Challenge, will be Jan. 16–17 and Feb. 13–14, respectively.

The SEC Indoor Championships will be Feb. 26–28 in College Station, Texas. The top 16 qualifiers in each event will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 13–14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Vandy will travel to several away events during the indoor and outdoor seasons, including several repeat events like Florida Relays, Mt. SAC Relays and others and new additions, such as the Hampton Inn River City Relays and 44 Farms Team Invitational.

The Dores will close out their outdoor regular season in Nashville with the Music City Challenge on May 1–2 at the Vanderbilt Outdoor Track.

Vanderbilt will head south to Auburn, Alabama, for the SEC Outdoor Championships on May 14–16. The NCAA East First Round will be May 27–30 in Lexington, Kentucky, and the NCAA Outdoor Championships will be June 10–13 in Eugene, Oregon.

The program’s full schedule is available at vucommodores.com. Fans can follow Vanderbilt track and field on Facebook, Instagram and X at @VandyXCTrack.

2025-26 Vanderbilt Track & Field Schedule
Dec. 6 Winter Commodore Challenge in Nashville
Jan. 9–10 Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational in Louisville, Ky.
Jan. 16-17 Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville
Jan. 30–31 Bob Pollock Invitational in Clemson, S.C.
Jan. 31 John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston
Feb. 13–14 Music City Challenge in Nashville
Feb. 26-28 SEC Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas
March 13–14 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
March 19–20 Hampton Inn River City Relays in Jacksonville, Fla.
March 26–27 Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C.
April 3–4 Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla.
April 9–11 44 Farms Team Invitational in College Station, Texas
April 10 Crimson Tide Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
April 15–18 Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.
April 16–18 Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif.
April 25–26 LSU Alumni Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.
May 1–2 Music City Challenge in Nashville
May 14–16 SEC Outdoor Championships in Auburn, Ala.
May 27–30 NCAA East First Round in Lexington, Ky.
June 10–13 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
June 18–21 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
July TBD USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Aug. 5–9 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Ore.





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December 6, 2025

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Track & Field Beings Indoor Season at Vanderbilt’s Winter Commodore Challenge

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December 6, 2025

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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s track and field team begins its 2025-26 season at Vanderbilt’s Commodore Winter Challenge, Saturday, at the David Williams II Recreation & Wellness Center in Nashville.

The meet is Austin Peay’s first of five in the indoor campaign’s regular season and also the first of three times the Govs will travel to the Music City ahead of the spring’s outdoor season.

Led by third-year head coach Asha Gibson-Smith, the Governors return 21 athletes including Taylin Segree who was a four-time ASUN Freshman of the Week and qualified for the USATF U20 Championships last season.

Gibson-Smith also welcomed six veteran newcomers in transfers Holly Harding (Lindenwood), Mallory Hodge (Eastern Kentucky), Laure Marie Kidakula (Georgia State), Mariah Mitchem (Coker University), Raven Payne (Bellarmine), and Zoe Spann-McDonald (West Virginia State). The Govs’ newcomer class features a quartet of freshmen, with Emily Bey, Molly Brown, China Giaimo, and Te’Onja Hinds set to begin their collegiate careers at Vanderbilt’s meet.

Saturday’s events begin in the field at 8:30 a.m. with Marcia Dejesus, Giaimo, and Emma Tucker competing in the weight throw. At the same time, Ja’Kyah Montgomery will be competing in the high jump. APSU concludes the day at 3:55 p.m. with Taylah Upshaw competing in the 1,000-meter.

Saturday’s meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Lyman on the call. Live results are available at the link atop this article.

Up Next

Austin Peay returns to action in mid-January when it returns to Nashville to the Vanderbilt Invitational, Jan. 16-17, at the David Williams II Recreation & Wellness Center

Austin Peay Competition List

Weight Throw (8:30 a.m.) – Marcia Dejesus, China Giaimo, Emma Tucker

High Jump (8:30 a.m.) – Ja’Kyah Montgomery

Pole Vault (10 a.m.) – Myra Eriksson

Long Jump (11:30 a.m.) – Denim Goddard, Madelyn Kocik

60m Hurdles Prelims (12 p.m.) – Molly Brown, Nevaeh Schmeling, Zoe Spann-McDonald

Shot Put (12:30 p.m.) – Marcia Dejesus, China Giaimo, Emma Tucker

Triple Jump (2:30 p.m.) – Denim Goddard, Madelyn Kocik, Ja’Kyah Montgomery

300m (2:35 p.m.) – Isis Banks, Alijanae Cole, Seven Pettus

600m (3:15 p.m.) – Alexis Arnett, Mia McGee, Taylin Segree

1000m (3:55 p.m.) – Taylah Upshaw

Follow the Govs on Socials

For news and updates throughout the 2025-26 track & field season, follow the Governors on X and Instagram (@GovsXCTF) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com



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