Ed Odeven 
Undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue punches challenger Ye Joon Kim of South Korea in the fourth round on January 24 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. (©KYODO)
Read the full story on SportsLook - Naoya Inoue Defends Super Bantamweight Titles with a 4th-Round KO of Ye Joon Kim
Naoya Inoue wrapped up his shortest fight since February 2022 (a second-round technical knockout of Nonito Donaire) with an impressive display of punching power on Friday night, January 24.
In the fourth round, the undisputed super bantamweight champion ended his title bout against Ye Joon Kim with a thunderbolt of a straight overhand right, sending the South Korean challenger tumbling to the canvas at Tokyo's Ariake Arena.
American referee Mark Nelson signaled the fight was over at the 2:25 mark of the fourth after Kim (21-3-2, 13 knockouts) failed to rise to his feet before the 10 count.
Inoue, who was an undisputed world champion at bantamweight before moving up to his current weight class, improved to 29-0 (26 KOs). He delivered another reminder that he's one of the world's best pound-for-pound fighters. Or, as many experts insist, the best.
It was Inoue's 24th consecutive world title fight, and it was Kim's first. Numbers that underscored the contrasting story of their fight careers.
Cautious at the get-go, as he gained a quick understanding of what he was up against, Inoue found his rhythm early on.
"Overall I think it was a good match. But I didn't have enough time to study my opponent so I took some time to see what's coming from him," Inoue said while standing in the ring after his triumph.
Goodman Replaced by Kim
Originally, the fight was scheduled to be held on December 24, 2024. But WBO's top-ranked super bantamweight Sam Goodman of Australia sustained a cut above his left eye in training in mid-December, and the fight was delayed one month. Then Goodman had a recurrence of the injury in January, forcing another change of plans.
Kim, ranked No 11 by the WBO, was named a late injury replacement 13 days before the fight, and Inoue acknowledged that he wasn't very familiar with his opponent.
But the hard-hitting Inoue put his stamp on the fight early on. In the opening round, the pride of Kanagawa Prefecture exhibited speed and power with both fists, utilizing aggressive fight tactics.
For Inoue, continuous use of his effective jab gave him ample opportunities to follow with his explosive right. Those one-two combinations were steady and put Kim on the defensive.
But the Korean fighter also relied on the element of surprise in his quest to earn an epic upset.
"Of course I came here to win, so this is difficult for me to take," Kim said after the match, according to Agence France-Presse. "My tactics were to get Inoue to come close to me and then hit him on the counter."
An Omen of Punches to Come
Although Kim hit his target in the second round, popping Inoue with a few body shots, the proud champion was ready for the challenge. He landed a number of potent two-punch combinations to show he was ready.
Inoue later mentioned again that he didn't have enough time to prepare for the bout.
"That was why I got [hit with] some unexpected punches, but I am OK," Inoue told the news conference.
In the same round, Inoue also hammered Kim with several powerful right-hand blows, inflicting obvious pain.
For Inoue, more of the same continued as the round progressed ― and a similar sequence of punching activity in the third round followed.
Inoue's full arsenal of punches, including expertly timed left hooks, did damage in this short fight.
Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
