Watch Event Replay on ESPN+
TOKYO (Jan. 24, 2025) — No matter the opponent, pound-for-pound superstar Naoya Inoue puts on a show. The undisputed super bantamweight champion knocked out late replacement Ye Joon Kim in the fourth round Friday in front of a packed house at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) continued his historic run against an unexpected foe in Kim, who accepted the fight on less than two weeks' notice after original opponent Sam Goodman suffered a cut in sparring. He is now 24-0 in world title fights, a streak that began in 2014 when he dethroned WBC light flyweight world champion Adrian Hernandez. And, in his third defense of the undisputed 122-pound crown, he once again lived up to the pound-for-pound billing.
After a feel-out first round, Inoue found a home for his right hand in the second. In the third, "The Monster" hurt Kim with several body shots, setting the stage for a furious finish in the fourth. After stunning Kim with yet another body blow, Inoue unloaded a right over the guard that put him down for the count.
"My new opponent {accepted the bout} 10 days before the fight. I feel a lot of love from everyone. I appreciate it," Inoue said. "Overall, I think it was a good match. I didn't have enough time to study my opponent, so I just took time to see what was coming from him."
"Another great performance by our champion here," added Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. "I observed that the great country of Japan has given {Shohei} Ohtani to Los Angeles. And at least for one fight, the great country of Japan will give the great Inoue to the city of Las Vegas this spring."
In the welterweight co-feature, world-ranked contender Jin Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs) defended his WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF belts with a 12-round unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3, 15 KOs), extending his unbeaten streak to nine. Scores: 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article.