Naoya Inoue had no trouble with an over-matched but gutsy Ye Joon Kim today in Tokyo, retaining his undisputed super bantamweight championship with a fourth round knockout victory at Ariake Arena.
Inoue (29-0, 26 KO) was originally meant to face Sam Goodman, but the Aussie pulled out of the fight with an injury for the second time in a month, leaving Kim (21-3-2, 13 KO) to give it his best effort on short notice.
The underdog should receive credit for, in fact, doing just that, but he was simply taking far too big a leap in competition against the international superstar and pound-for-pound standout, who intends to fight in both Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia in 2025, having taken care of another home defense.
Inoue, 31, keeps his standing not only as the top super bantamweight in the world, but as a true star of boxing, and has the chance to raise his profile even further in 2025.