Undisputed super bantamweight champion Japan's Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) knocked out Ye Joon Kim (21-3-2, 13 KOs)of South Korea in the fourth round Friday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Kim took the fight on late notice after Inoue's original opponent Sam Goodman was injured during camp postponing the bout a second time. Inoue's did not stop his 2025 campaing from being delayed as he decided to fight on. It was a series of combinations to the body that did it as Inoue onnected with his trade-mark body shots flooring Kim in the process as the referee Mark Nelson reached a ten count at at 2:25 of the fourth round.
"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."
Following the win Promoter Bob Arum hinted on bringing the Monster back to Sin City in the spring.
"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."
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