Inoue Wins Via Knockout, Looks Toward 2025 U.S. Debut

Naoya Inoue delivered a quick, expected knockout against Ye Joon-Kim early this morning at Ariake Arena of Tokyo, in round four of their undisputed super bantamweight matchup.

Kim stepped in on 10 days’ notice after Sam Goodman withdrew due to an ongoing eye injury, however, this bout was never anything more than glorified sparring.

Inoue early on established the presence of his jab, which he used to set up easy and open counter shots. And, notably, he continually unleashed gut wrenching hits to the body of Kim.

Inoue, clearly pushing forward, was encouraged by Kim in the form of a few cocky taunts to keep on the attack. Apparently, nothing was hurting Kim, until he made this motion for the fourth and final time — Inoue launched a crisp jab and straight right hand that put Kim to the canvas.

Inoue jumped to 29-0 (26 KOs) while Kim fell to 21-3-2 (13 KOs).

TopRank Promoter Bob Arum shared his excitement with the crowd afterward, regarding Inoue soon fighting for U.S. fans, explaining “the great country of Japan will give the great Inoue to the city of Las Vegas this spring.”

“In spring of 2025 I’ll be going to Las Vegas to show you the great match,” Inoue said through a translator.

To state that Inoue is fighting less-than competition is likely, at this point, somewhat true, but fans must remember that the 31-year-old has simply sharpened his skills and conquered the division over time, to prove that nobody at this weight can stop him.

In other words, for Inoue’s 2025 U.S. debut, fans would be most intrigued by a new challenge or quest for the Japanese phenom. A featherweight bout versus Brandon Figueroa certainly comes to mind, perhaps for Figueroa’s WBC title strap assuming he beats Stephen Fulton. But, who knows if that would ever occur so quickly.

A new weight for Inoue to rip through, with the beginning of that journey starting in the U.S., would certainly engage new fans, and make for an exciting storyline.