Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue successfully defended his title on Friday night with a dominant fourth-round knockout victory over late replacement Kim Ye Joon at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Inoue began the bout cautiously, using jabs and body shots to assess his opponent. Kim appeared composed, seemingly unaffected by Inoue’s power early on, but he threw minimal punches in the opening two rounds.
The action picked up in the third round when Kim started throwing punches, prompting Inoue to counter effectively with body shots. By the fourth round, Inoue launched a series of powerful punches to Kim’s head and body, eventually sending him to the canvas.
Kim failed to beat the referee’s count, and Inoue was declared the winner via stoppage at the 2:25 mark of the fourth round. The victory extended Inoue’s unbeaten record to 29-0 with 26 knockouts, further cementing his dominance in the division.