Naoya Inoue Vs. Ye Joon Kim Results: KO Highlight And Reaction

The Monster is still a scary dude.

In Tokyo, Japan, Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight champion, successfully retained his titles on Friday morning with a fourth-round KO win over Ye Joon Kim.

Inoue increased his pressure with each round until he started to land punishing combinations in the fourth. After a whacking left hook, Kim waved Inoue on and asked for more.

Inoue obliged with a blistering two-punch combination that sent Kim to the canvas. The referee moved in and ultimately waved off the full ten count when he realized Kim was done for the evening.

Here is a look at the finish:

Uncrowned warned Kim to be careful what he wished for:

Inoue was originally supposed to fight Sam Goodman on December 24. It was pushed back when Goodman suffered a cut in sparring. The fight was rescheduled for January 24, but Goodman suffered another laceration and had to pull out.

Kim wound up replacing Goodman on Friday. Despite the KO loss, Kim made a strong account of himself. He landed some hard shots, but unfortunately for him, none of his punches seemed to affect Inoue.

The Japanese superstar rarely took a step backward, and he picked Kim apart from a medium distance.

In spring, Inoue has agreed to head to Las Vegas for a major title defense, but he did not reveal the name of his opponent. It’s a huge date as it gives fans in America an opportunity to see Inoue fight in person.

It would seemingly make sense for Inoue to fight Goodman in Las Vegas. Goodman is undefeated and ranked by all four governing bodies. Unless Inoue’s side is a bit perturbed with Goodman for pulling out of the fight twice, it would appear to be the most logical next step for Inoue.

We’ll have to wait to see who gets the call and the strong payday to be Inoue’s opponent in Las Vegas. Here is a look at the upcoming boxing schedule, beginning with a busy Saturday on January 25.

Saturday, January 25, 2025

European Title: Dalton Smith vs. Walid Ouizza

• Location: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, GB
• Time: Noon (ET)

Diego Pacheco vs. Steven Nelson

Ernesto Mercado vs. Jose Pedraza

Andy Cruz vs. Omar Salcido Gamez

• Location: The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, US
• Time: 7:00 PM (ET)

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Adam Azim vs. Sergey Lipinets

• Location: OVO Wembley Arena, London, GB
• Time: 1:00 PM (ET)

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell

Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton

Alejandro Ramos Jr. vs. Jeison Rosario

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Angel Fierro

• Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, US
• Time: 8:00 PM (ET)

Sunday, February 2, 2025

WBO World Heavyweight Championship: Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins

• Location: Dort Federal Event Center, Flint, US
• Time: 8:00 PM (ET)

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Dereck Chisora vs. Otto Wallin

• Location: Co-Op Live Arena, Manchester, GB
• Time: 2:00 PM (ET)

Friday, February 14, 2025

WBO World Lightweight Championship: (c) Denys Berinchyk vs. Keyshawn Davis

Xander Zayas vs. Slawa Spomer

Vito Mielnicki vs. Connor Coyle

Jared Anderson vs. Marios Kollias

Abdullah Mason vs. Manuel Jaimes

• Location: The Theater at MSG, New York City, US
• Time: 8:00 PM (ET)

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Jack Catterall vs. Arnold Barboza

• Location: Co-Op Live Arena, Manchester, GB
• Time: Noon (ET)

Oscar Duarte vs. Regis Prograis

• Honda Center, Anaheim, California, US
• Time: 8 PM (ET)

Saturday, February 22, 2025

The Ring, WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF Light Heavyweight Championship: (c) Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol

IBF Heavyweight Championship: (c) Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker

WBC Lightweight Championship (c) Shakur Stevenson vs. Floyd Schofield

WBC Middleweight Championship (c) Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz

Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov

Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith

Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel

• Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, SA
• Time: Noon (ET)

Monday, February 24, 2025WBC World Bantamweight Championship: (c) Junto Nakatani vs. David Cuellar Contreras

• Location: Ariake Arena, Tokyo, JP
• Time: 2:00 AM (ET)

Saturday, March 1, 2025

WBA World Lightweight Championship: (c) Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr.

• Location: Barclays Center, New York City, US
• Time: 8:00 PM (ET)

Friday, March 7, 2025

• The Ring Welterweight Championship: (c) Natasha Jonas vs. Lauren Price
• Location: Royal Albert Hall, London, GB
• Time: 1:00 PM (ET)

Saturday, March 15, 2025

• WBA World Featherweight Championship: (c) Nick Ball vs. TJ Doheny
• Location: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, GB
• Time: 1:00 PM (ET)

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Callum Walsh vs. Dean Sutherland

• Location: The Theater at MSG, New York City, US
• Time: 9:00 PM (ET)