Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super-bantamweight titles on Friday, with an expected destruction of Ye Joon Kim.
Kim was stepping in for Sam Goodman, who withdrew from the title fight after suffering a cut over his eye, and the Korean was no match for Inoue in Tokyo.
The Japanese star crumpled his short-notice challenger in round four to remain unbeaten, undisputed, and the Indy Sport pound-for-pound No 1.
Inoue’s victory came courtesy of a clean right cross, a shot that saw Kim crash into the ropes in the corner of the ring. Moments earlier, Inoue had seemed to hurt the southpaw with a superbly-timed left hook, yet Kim beckoned him on nonetheless. And Inoue obliged, finding the perfect punch. The referee saved Kim, 32, waving off the fight and sealing the win for Inoue, 31, at 2:25 of the fourth round.
Re-live the action from Inoue vs Kim and the undercard, below.
Inoue vs Kim LIVE
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Naoya Inoue defends the undisputed super-bantamweight titles against Ye Joon Kim
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Kim steps in for Sam Goodman, who was ruled out of the fight with a cut over his eye
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REPORT: Inoue crumples Kim with familiar knockout in undisputed title defence
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Inoue also puts his unbeaten record (28-0, 25 KOs) on the line against Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs)
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Inoue is the Indy Sport pound-for-pound No 1, ahead of Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford
WATCH: Inoue adds another knockout to his highlight reel
12:10 , Luke Baker
A brutal knockout from Inoue – just effortless power from the Japanese superstar.
Here’s how he ended the fight:
Naoya Inoue def. Ye Joon Kim LIVE
12:00 , Alex Pattle
The shot that ended the fight…
Naoya Inoue def. Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:53 , Alex Pattle
Bob Arum, Inoue’s US promoter at Top Rank: “The great country of Japan will give this great Inoue to the city of Las Vegas this spring.”
He said the same thing after Inoue’s last fight, in September, so let’s see what happens! Inoue has been in talks with Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh, too.
Inoue acknowledges the plan to go to Vegas in spring.
Naoya Inoue def. Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:46 , Alex Pattle
As Kim walks up the ramp and out of the arena, Inoue applauds his beaten foe – encouraging the fans in Tokyo to join in.
Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:41 , Alex Pattle
Inoue is conducting his post-fight interview in the ring.
In one corner, Kim is wincing – and seemingly quite emotional.
Naoya Inoue def. Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:39 , Alex Pattle
Naoya Inoue def. Ye Joon Kim via fourth-round TKO (2:25).
Still unbeaten, still undisputed, still the Indy Sport pound-for-pound No 1. Same old Monster.
Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:37 , Alex Pattle
Round four
Inoue is increasing the volume of his output. Again he corners Kim, forcing the challenger to keep moving his head.
Now Inoue gets through with a right and left hook, back-to-back!
A thudding left to the body, too. Kim comes back and lands a decent right straight, then a grazing left overhand.
Counter left hook by Inoue, not too heavy but timed soooo well, and Kim feels that…
He retreats, and Inoue CRUMPLES him with a right cross! Kim collapses into the ropes, in the corner, and the referee saves the challenger during the count!!
It’s all over.
Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:32 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Inoue is still on the front foot, varying his targets between body and head.
Kim with some decent offence, though, trying a couple of combinations.
The Korean already has a bruise under his left eye, however…
He’s cornered again but moves his head well before skipping away. Now he’s trapped in the opposite corner briefly.
Clean cross upstairs by Inoue. Two body shots after that.
Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:29
Round two
Inoue stays light on his feet, bouncing around. He digs a cross into the midriff of Kim, who shakes his head. Now Inoue crashes forward with a cross upstairs; it’s partially blocked, and Kim shakes his head again.
Inoue catches an exiting Kim with a grazing left hook.
More jabs from Inoue in this round. He misses with a big overhand attempt… Now a decent right hand lands for the Japanese!
That gets Kim to open up a bit himself, with a combination that Inoue largely blocks. Clean right by Inoue – a sort of shovel uppercut!
He’s finding his range, it seems. He shuffles into range and back out, landing a short cross in the middle.
Good head movement to avoid an overhand left by Kim, then Inoue lands a right. Nice counter right hook by the Monster, too.
A much more active round by both men, with Inoue looking very comfortable as it stands.
Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:24
Round one
Inoue stands orthodox, while Kim is southpaw for now.
Inoue holds the centre of the ring early, then corners Kim. But neither man is throwing much; Inoue is seemingly content to feint and make reads.
Some feints from Kim, too, but Inoue is not biting. Now the champion flicks out a few jabs.
A couple of crosses added by Inoue, whose latest lands to the chest of Kim.
A first round light on action.
Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:20
And here, we, go!!!
Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim LIVE
11:13 , Alex Pattle
Inoue with a typically cool entrance.
One young fan gets a fist bump from the “Monster” – that’ll be his year made, already!
The champion joins Kim in the ring now. Both fighters look very focused; Inoue, naturally, looks a little more relaxed.
The national anthems are done, and the fighter introductions are under way courtesy of the iconic Jimmy Lennon Jr.
Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim LIVE: Tale of the tape, ring walks
11:08 , Alex Pattle
Both men tipped the scales at 121-and-3/4lb.
Inoue (5ft 5in) stands an inch taller than Kim (5ft 54in).
The Japanese also has a longer reach: 67.5in compared to the Korean’s 65in.
Inoue’s record is 28-0 with 25 KO wins, while Kim’s is 21-2-2 including 12 KO wins.
Inoue stands orthodox; Kim may start southpaw tonight.
Inoue is 31 years old; Kim is 32.
The ring walks are under way, with Kim – the challenger – walking first!
Naoya Inoue’s unique problems are not of his own making – but this plan could fix them
10:57 , Alex Pattle
The main event should be just moments away now!
Last chance to read our preview of Inoue vs Kim, centred on where Inoue is at in his career – and how seeming Saudi involvement could help and hinder him in coming months…
Naoya Inoue’s unique problems are not of his making – but this plan could fix them
Steve Bunce: Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford is the super fight with a twist
10:52
It looks like the city, the venue, the weight and more importantly the money has been agreed for a fight between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez.
Obviously, it could collapse in acrimony in the next few hours, but the relentless behind-the-scenes work by Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi Arabian fight fixer, to somehow bring together two of the world’s finest boxers, from different weight classes, in an extraordinary fight that defies traditional boundaries is close to being official. It’s the latest in the modern dream factory of fights.
Alalshikh has been briefing people for about six weeks in private meetings that the fight, which is one of his personal favourites, is getting closer and closer.
His other chosen fight – one he has been talking about for close to a year – is the British showdown at middleweight between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr, and that, according to just about everyone in the sport, has been made for April.
The Canelo and Crawford bout really feels like one of the fantasy fights that boxing fans talked about for decades; it is a fight too good to be true, yet it is going to happen.
Column from Steve Bunce:
Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford is the super fight with a twist
Jin Sasaki sees off Shoki Sakai in welterweight bout
10:48 , Alex Pattle
Sasaki gets a unanimous-decision win! 116-112, 117-111, 118-110.
There was some very tidy work from Sakai throughout, but Sasaki landed the more eye-catching punches and really pushed the pace in the final rounds.
118-110 feels too wide for my liking, and 117-111 is borderline.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:45 , Alex Pattle
Round 12
I’ve never seen this before! In the corner before the final round, Sasaki’s coach is slapping him to the head and body – showing him the shots he wants his boxer to throw!
Into the last three minutes of this fight. Stern jabs from Sakai, then a rear uppercut.
Sasaki lands a left hook around Sakai’s guard, and the latter retreats for now. Another spiteful left hook to the mid-section.
Sasaki corners Sakai, who replies with some mean shots! But Sasaki lands some wild punches of his own in the final seconds!
Lots of respect between the boxers, and rightly so. We’ll go to the scorecards.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:40 , Alex Pattle
Round 11
Into the championship rounds! Plenty of aggression from Sasaki, even at this late juncture. As usual, Sakai is trying to build most of his own offence off his jab.
He lands a rear uppercut, but Sasaki crashes in a hook and overhand.
High guard from Sakai to limit Sasaki’s success in the following exchange, but eventually a shot gets through clean.
Sakai takes it well and lands one of his own, before the welterweights briefly grapple.
A series of heavy hooks from Sasaki off the break! Is Sakai in a bit of trouble?? He stays composed, but he’s taking heavy shots from all angles!
He beckons on Sasaki!! Remarkable. What a moment.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:36 , Alex Pattle
Round 10
There’s a brief pause in the action, as Sakai’s glove needs to be re-taped.
Back under way, and both boxers fire off shots while leaning on each other.
Sakai snaps back Sasaki’s head with a long jab. Another harsh left hook to the body of Sakai now.
Sasaki backs him up to the ropes, but Sakai gets away with some fine output and movement.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:32
Round nine
Into the final third of this 12-round fight.
A beautiful trio of uppercuts from Sakai! Still Sasaki walks him down.
Sasaki with a left hook to the body and one to the head – a pair of shots he’s used well today.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:29 , Alex Pattle
Round eight
Sasaki is keeping a high volume of output, and still venturing forward constantly.
He slows slightly in the second half of the round, though, breathing with his mouth open as Sakai capitalises with some consistent work.
Sasaki ends the round with a second wind, however.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:24 , Alex Pattle
Round seven
There’s a cut above Sakai’s right eye, and a fair bit of swelling now. Honestly, it could be from clashes of heads, rather than punches.
Sakai looks to get back behind his jab, after the early part of the round consists of some grappling and some wild swings.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:20 , Alex Pattle
Round six
Aggressive start to the round by Sasaki.
It feels like a continuation of round five, with the welterweights going at it at close range. Still lots of uppercuts and hooks; one uppercut from Sakai is particularly brutal.
Sasaki backs him up to the ropes now, but Sakai jabs his way off them. The pair trade a slew of body shots.
Another cracking uppercut from Sakai, jolting back the head of Sasaki!
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:16 , Alex Pattle
Round five
Sasaki staggers across the ring, but it’s ruled a slip – not a knockdown.
He’s back to his feet and chasing Sakai, who puts together a chain of jabs.
A left hook just about gets past his guard, before Sasaki builds on that offence with some improved defence, moving his head well.
Really intense exchanges now, with both boxers loading up heavily! Uppercuts and hooks at close range! You’d think it was the final round!
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:12 , Alex Pattle
Round four
Clean left hook upstairs by Sasaki, who’s feeling himself a bit too much, coming forward with his hands low and getting punished for it.
Sakai ate that hook well, too. Sasaki’s next one goes to the body, but he’s warned for aiming too low.
Some grappling ensues. The boxers separate, and it’s Sakai landing a left hook to the head now – a longer shot.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:08 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Sasaki continues to press forward, but he walks onto a right-hand uppercut! Now more spearing jabs from Sakai to deter Sasaki.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:04 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Good variety of shots from Sasaki, including a couple of left hooks to the body while leaning off the centre line.
But straight punches beat curved punches, and Sakai’s jab is still working well.
Some solid uppercuts at close range by Sakai now, before Sasaki really loads up on a left hook to the head!
Sakai backs him up to the ropes, but Sasaki throws himself off of them with an overhand.
Now it’s Sakai who varies his shots well, digging a right hook to the body before coming up to the head.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
10:00
Round one
Both men stand orthodox. Well-timed jab by Sasaki, then Sakai lands one of his own and a short overhand.
Another stiff jab by Sakai, who then goes from the body back to the head.
And that’s the story of round one, to be honest: Sasaki needs to find a way past that battering ram of a jab, but he’s struggling. Sakai is doubling up that shot, too.
Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai meet at welterweight
09:46
It’s a welterweight meeting between Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai next!
Don’t go anywhere; both men are in the ring!
Tsubasa Narai in action against Kai Watanabe
09:32 , Alex Pattle
We go to the scorecards, which see Tsubasa Narai declared a split-decision winner over Kai Watanabe (96-94, 94-96, 96-94)!
What a bout, scrappy at times with some wrestling involved even!
Tsubasa Narai in action against Kai Watanabe
09:11 , Alex Pattle
The next undercard bout is under way, with Tsubasa Narai boxing Kai Watanabe at lightweight!
Shimomachi gets dodgy decision over Hirano on undercard
09:02 , Luke Baker
It wouldn’t be boxing with a contentious decision by the judges and one of the matches on the undercard has delivered on that…
Toshiki Shimomachi was taking on underdog Misaki Hirano in a 10-round super-bantamweight bout and it was a dramatic fight.
Shimomachi looked to have floored Hirano in the fourth round, when the latter’s gloves appeared to touch the canvas after being tagged with a lead right hook but the referee missed it…
Hirano was then knocked down in the sixth but fought back well and hurt Shimomachi, before knocking him down in the 10th and final round. Hirano finished incredibly strongly and looked to have done enough to pinch it.
But the judges award a very, very debatable majority decision to the favourite Shimomachi. A cracking fight either way, though.
Inoue vs Kim LIVE: Blow-by-blow updates
09:00 , Alex Pattle
Our live updates of today’s undercard will begin in a few moments – don’t go anywhere!
Inoue vs Kim LIVE: What happened last time out?
08:56 , Alex Pattle
Inoue’s last outing was, actually, a surprisingly underwhelming one, though through no fault of his own…
Here’s how it went down:
The bizarre moment that denied Naoya Inoue a statement win over TJ Doheny
Inoue vs Kim LIVE: The rest of our pound-for-pound top 10
08:50 , Alex Pattle
So, as mentioned in the post below, Inoue tops our pound-for-pound list, with Crawford at No 2 and Usyk ranked third…
But who else makes our top 10? Find out right here:
Who’s really the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world?
Inoue vs Kim LIVE: Monster’s problems aren’t of his making – but this plan could fix them
08:45 , Alex Pattle
Naoya Inoue may be the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. That sentiment has been shared enough times on these pages, even amid Oleksandr Usyk’s back-to-back victories over Tyson Fury in 2024, and Terence Crawford’s repeated triumphs. In fact, there are no better measuring sticks for Inoue than Usyk and Crawford.
Inoue, Crawford and Usyk – The Independent’s top three pound-for-pound boxers, in that order – are the only fighters in the four-belt era to have been undisputed champions at two weights.
Crawford did it first, adding undisputed welterweight gold to his super-lightweight silverware; Inoue followed later in 2023, becoming undeniable at super-bantamweight, having previously earned that status at bantamweight; then Usyk got involved last May, the former cruiserweight king winning a classic with Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.
And given all three men are unbeaten, you have to split hairs to separate them. Usyk is “only” a two-weight champion overall, while Crawford’s latest win made him a four-weight champion. Inoue has also held world titles in four divisions, but his knockout rate (25 KOs from 28 wins) eclipses those of Crawford and Usyk. An unmatched ruthlessness.
All of this is to say: the average boxing fan may be quick to name Crawford or Usyk as the greatest living boxer – they may not even be that aware of Inoue – but the Japanese’s achievements might actually surpass the American and Ukrainian’s. Inoue’s profile does not match his prowess, basically.
Below, we look at what Saudi involvement in Inoue’s career (the Japanese has been talking with boxing’s new kingmakers…) could mean for his breed of challenger, and his exposure to the wider world. There are pros… and there are cons:
Naoya Inoue’s unique problems are not of his making – but this plan could fix them
Inoue vs Kim LIVE: Full fight card
08:38 , Alex Pattle
Subject to late changes; ‘C’ denotes champion:
Naoya Inoue (C) vs Ye Joon Kim (WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF super-bantamweight titles)
Jin Sasaki vs Shoki Sakai (welterweight)
Goki Kobayashi vs Yuni Takada (minimumweight)
Toshiki Shimomachi vs Misaki Hirano (super-bantamweight)
Tsubasa Narai vs Kai Watanabe (lightweight)
Inoue vs Kim LIVE: Main-event odds
08:30 , Alex Pattle
Via Betway:
Inoue – 1/50
Kim – 12/1
Draw – 25/1
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Inoue vs Kim LIVE: How to watch fight
08:20 , Alex Pattle
In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports+. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action.
And of course, we’ll provide blow-by-blow updates right here, so stick around!
Inoue vs Kim LIVE: Start time and ring walks
08:10 , Alex Pattle
Inoue vs Kim is scheduled to take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
The undercard is due to begin at approximately 9am GMT (1am PT / 3am CT / 4am ET), with main-event ring walks expected at around 11am GMT (3am PT / 5am CT / 6am ET).
Inoue vs Kim start time and how to watch fight online and on TV
Inoue vs Kim LIVE: Welcome!
08:00 , Alex Pattle
Today, Naoya Inoue will make his third defence of the undisputed super-bantamweight titles, as he boxes Ye Joon Kim on short notice.
The unbeaten Inoue, a four-division champion who has been undisputed at two weights, was expecting to fight Sam Goodman here. But a cut over Goodman’s eye, which initially delayed the bout from December until January, reopened this month, forcing the Australian to withdraw for good.
So, in steps Kim, facing a stern test as he looks to take the undisputed belts from Inoue, 31, who has 25 knockouts from 28 unanswered wins as a professional.
Kim, 32, enters Tokyo with a record of 21-2-2 (13 KOs), and the Korean has promised: “I’m different to all the boxers before me. This is my time. I’ll crush him.”
It is a bold vow, as he prepares to box the arguable pound-for-pound No 1 on the “Monster”’s home turf… Follow live updates and results from Inoue vs Kim, right here.
