LAS VEGAS — Ramon Cardenas was barely making ends meet less than two years ago with a three-punch combination that featured driving gigs for Uber, Lyft and DoorDash.

He had no choice but to keep a side hustle because his boxing career had only yielded a career-high purse of $17,000 at that point.

But in his last four fights, Cardenas has risen through the ranks by crushing the competition and made better money after linking up with new manager Michael Miller, who’s handled the careers of Nonito Donaire, Timothy Bradley Jr. and Kelly Pavlik.

No more cabbing. Now it's strictly about clubbing the right hand for the 29-year-old from San Antonio, Texas.

Cardenas, the WBA’s No. 1-rated challenger at 122 pounds, will get the opportunity of a lifetime Sunday when he faces undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue at T-Mobile Arena to headline a Top Rank show on ESPN.

Cardenas is cognizant of the monumental mission that comes with facing The Monster.

“I have to be perfect for 36 minutes. That’s the way to beat him,” Cardenas told The Ring. “I don’t know [how I am going to beat him], but I know that I am going to win. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I'm not going out there to lose. I am going to try my best to win and I am going out there with the full intention of winning. I am going to try to give fans something that they'll remember.”

Inoue already has bigger plans than the perceived stepping stone Cardenas. During the week, it was revealed that Inoue will face Murodjon Akhmadaliev on Sept. 14 in Tokyo. Inoue also has plans to face Nick Ball in December during a Riyadh Season event and Junto Nakatani after that.

“I don't think he's overlooking me at all because he knows he's going up against a guy who is going out there with something to prove,” said Cardenas. “I know he's taking the fight seriously.

“A win changes my career by putting me on top of the food chain. I would be accomplishing my dreams in becoming a world champion. I am going to have all of these guys wanting to fight me.”

Cardenas is hoping to do what Andy Ruiz Jr. did to Anthony Joshua and what Bruno Surace did to Jaime Munguia. Inoue showed signs of vulnerability last year when he suffered his first career knockdown against Luis Nery. But just like his last 10 opponents, Inoue eventually knocked out Nery.

“I see cracks,” said Cardenas. “In every fighter there are certain cracks that you could find. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the G.O.A.T. and you can find cracks with him, too. For me, it's been about working on things that we can capitalize on.

“I don't think you can ever prepare for power. I know he is going to come out and try his hardest to knock me out, and I have to be prepared for that. I have to set up a game plan that will be counterproductive for him to do that.

“I am training hard and doing things that I have never done before. I have to keep doing what I have been doing that has won me the fights but obviously pick up the intensity, capitalize. If ain't broke, don't fix it. But I know that I have to add on to the game plan and make sure it's only meant for him. Everything has been going well.”

While the four-division champion Inoue has faced world-class competition, the Joel Diaz-coached Cardenas has not. But he’s coming in confident off the best win of his career in February, a 10-round unanimous decision against the then-unbeaten Bryan Acosta.

“Boxing is not a popularity contest. It's about wins, rankings and the people you've been beating,” said Cardenas. “I was taking the opportunities that I was given. I am ranked No. 1 in the WBA for a reason. They didn't put me there because of popularity, or because they liked me. I earned this shot. It wasn't given to me.

“I've never been the type to worry about the cameras and the critics. I'm blessed to be making a living doing this and I'm just a fighter who fights. I know how to turn the switch. Put a ring anywhere you want in the world, you have to fight no matter what. It's all the same thing. I am not going to let the magnitude of this fight get to me. That's my mentality.”

The little-known Cardenas marks the third consecutive inferior opponent Inoue is facing, who is coming off wins against TJ Doheny and Ye Joon Kim after the Nery knockout 12 months ago.

Inoue was originally supposed to take on Alan Picasso Romero before shifting his focus to Cardenas.

“I knew that I was eventually going to fight him, but I was thinking it would be next year,” said Cardenas. “When my manager gave me the call, I said, 'Hell yeah.' Everything happened fast, and now the opportunity is here. I just have to take advantage. A win will change my life forever.”