The bout between Rohan Polanco and Fabian Maidana, along with other matchups, joins the undercard of Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas. The event takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 4. The pair square off in a 10-rounder at welterweight.
Unbeaten Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs) makes his second ring appearance of the year. The 26-year-old native of Los Alcarrizos, Dominican Republic is coming off a win by knockout in the second round against Jean Carlos Torres in February.
Maidana (24-3, 18 KOs) from Argentina aims for his third straight victory since dropping a unanimous decision to Mario Barrios for the interim WBC 147-pound title last May. The 32-year-old stopped Jesus Antonio Rubio in the second round in late 2024 and Francisco Mercado in the second round last October.
“This fight is a major challenge for me, but it’s also a great platform to showcase my skills in front of a massive audience,” Rohan Polanco said. “This is a great step forward for my career and will give me a chance to earn new fans while proudly raising the Dominican flag.”
The event is also set to feature Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) in his second fight of 2025. The 20-year-old from Oxnard, CA is fresh off a win by TKO in the second round against Giovannie Gonzalez in March. His opponent in an eight-round super lightweight bout is yet to be determined.
“To fight at T-Mobile Arena on Cinco De Mayo Weekend, alongside incredible champions like Naoya Inoue and Rafael Espinoza, is a great opportunity,” Emiliano Vargas said. “I kicked off my 2025 campaign in style last week and will continue that momentum with another standout performance on May 4.”
Also added to the Inoue vs Cardenas undercard is a 10-round featherweight matchup between Mikito Nakano (12-0, 11 KOs) of Japan and Pedro Marquez (16-1, 10 KOs) of Puerto Rico. Additionally, former interim super bantamweight champion Raeese Aleem (21-1, 12 KOs) of Muskegon, MI steps through the ropes in a 10-rounder at featherweight against an opponent to be named.
In the main event, four-weight champion Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) of Japan defends his undisputed super bantamweight title against Ramon Cardenas of San Antonio, Texas. In the co-main event, Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) of Mexico defends his WBO featherweight title against Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas.
The finalized lineup is expected to be confirmed shortly.