Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim: Undisputed Champion Blasts Out Challenger

Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) yet again won by knockout, this time against Ye Joon Kim (21-3-2, 13 KOs).

The official time of stoppage was 2:25 of round four. With the victory, Inoue successfully defends his undisputed super bantamweight championship. This was his third defence after becoming undisputed in late 2023 with a stoppage win over Marlon Tapales.

Inoue-Kim headlined an Ohashi Promotions card at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Teiken Promotions and Top Rank Boxing were also involved in promoting this event. Fight fans in Japan could catch the action live on Lemino. Those in the United States were able to do so with ESPN+. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the fight aired on Sky Sports+. Those in Canada could watch with TSN+.

Naoya Inoue Blasts Out Ye Joon Kim

Fight Recap

The gulf in class was evident from the beginning of the fight. In the opening round itself, Inoue was able to corner his opponent without much difficulty. He picked up the pace in the second, landing a right to the temple that had Kim’s legs briefly stiffen. Inoue also went to the body more and it was clear in rounds two and three that no what the challenger did, it would not be enough to dethrone the champion.

The bodywork in the third eventually set up the finish in the fourth. With Kim on the retreat, Inoue landed a one-two that sent the Korean to the canvas. After failing to beat referee Mark Nelson’s count, the fight came to an end, giving Inoue the knockout victory.

KIM ASKED FOR MORE AND INOUE MADE HIM PAY 😱

Be careful what you wish for. pic.twitter.com/lsdJPTGEY4

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 24, 2025

Post-fight Interview

Naoya Inoue

“My new opponent [accepted the bout] 10 days before the fight. I feel a lot of love from everyone. I appreciate it,” said Inoue in Japanese. “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.”

Undercard Results

Jin Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3, 15 KOs). Scores for the 12-round welterweight bout were 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112.

Tsubasa Narai (15-2, 10 KOs) won a split decision over Kai Watanabe (13-2-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round super featherweight clash. While one judge saw Watanabe winning 96-94, the other two had it 96-94 for Narai.

Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3, 12 KOs) won a majority decision against Misaki Hirano (11-2, 4 KOs) in a 10-round super bantamweight bout. While one judge had it 94-94, the other two saw it 95-93. With the win, Shimomachi remains the Japanese super bantamweight champion. Hirano was knocked down in round six. Shimomachi was knocked down in round 10.

Yuni Takada (16-8-3, 6 KOs) won a split decision over Goki Kobayashi (8-2, 5 KOs) in a 12-round minimumweight fight. While one judge had Kobayashi winning 114-113, the other two saw it 116-111 and 114-113 for Takada. Kobayashi was knocked down in round three.