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Weekday Recap: Naoya Inoue Meets Expectations In Another Dominant KO Win Over Replacement Opponent

Naoya Inoue Meets Expectations In Another Dominant KO Win Over Replacement Opponent featured image
It was business as usual for Japanese pound-for-pound phenom Naoya Inoue as he sailed to a 4th-round knockout win over South Korean challenger Yee Joon Kim at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, January 24, 2025. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)

Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue continues to maintain his reputation as one of the best fighters in the world with another consistent performance that saw him knock out South Korean opponent Yee Joon Kim in just 4 rounds. The two met in the ring earlier today (January 24) at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, where thousands bore witness to an expected yet stupendous performance from Inoue.

Naoya Inoue vs. Yee Joon Kim

Coming in as a late replacement for Naoya Inoue’s (29-0, 26 KO’s) previous-slated opponent, Australian contender Sam Goodman (19-0, 8 KO’s), Yee Joon Kim (21-3-2, 13 KO’s) was facing steep odds against the Japanese pound-for-pound fighter. Despite neither of the two fighters having had time to prepare for each other thoroughly, Inoue did not shy away from displaying his fearsome power and fluent skills in what turned out to be another dominant performance. Their title fight for all of Inoue’s super bantamweight (122 lbs) world titles was scheduled for a total of 12 rounds.

The gap in skill level between the two fighters was apparent from the onset as Naoya Inoue gradually began to break down Yee Joon Kim over the first 3 rounds. Kim’s attempt at offense was virtually non-existent as Inoue started off on the front foot as usual and began testing the South Korean’s defense. Kim barely retaliated and mostly remained on the defensive, which ultimately proved ineffective as Inoue simply pushed through his guard, landing more punches every subsequent round.

By the 4th round, Inoue stepped up on the gas pedal and Kim’s defense fully faltered, enabling the Japanese star to land a powerful right hand after the 2-minute mark passed. Kim fell down in an instant and appeared to be heavily struggling to stand up. As a result, he failed to beat the count of 10 by the referee and the fight was ruled a knockout (KO) in the 4th round for Inoue not long after.

It was another authoritative performance from Inoue but one not thoroughly in line with the expected level of competition that Inoue should have faced. Yee Joon Kim, 32, had never been in a world title fight and despite likely being one of the best South Korean fighter at 122-pounds, he was notably lacking in experience and the required ability to make any significant impact.

Despite Kim substituting Sam Goodman rather late, Naoya Inoue still did wonderful given he had only a few weeks at most to prepare for an unknown quantity in Yee Joon Kim. However, as far as competition goes, Kim did not meet the requirements expected of what a pound-for-pound fighter such as Inoue should normally face.

It is currently unknown in which direction Naoya Inoue will head towards. As his fight with Sam Goodman was ordered by the IBF, it is likely the two will stage their fight later this year. However, an order by the WBA for Inoue to face Uzbek contender Murodjon Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KO’s) should also be considered given Akhmadaliev’s position as the WBA 122 lbs mandatory challenger and current status as WBA interim champion.

Undercard fights:

At welterweight (147 lbs), Japanese contender Jin Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KO’s) had a solid performance against veteran Shoki Sakai (29-15-3, 15 KO’s) though he notably failed to finish his opponent within the 12-scheduled rounds of the title bout as he won their bout by unanimous decision (UD). Sasaki successfully retained his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation & WBO Asia Pacific welterweight titles, further solidifying him on the rankings of all the main four sanctioning bodies. The scorecards for the fight were as follows: 117-111, 118-110 and 116-112 in favor of Sasaki.

The most exciting bout on the undercard was a domestic contest between Japanese minimumweight (105 lbs) fighters Goki Kobayashi (8-2, 5 KO’s) and Yuni Takada (16-8-3, 6 KO’s). In a 12-round match where both fighters were aged the same (26), it was Takada whose experience would make the difference as he battled to a split-decision victory over his domestic rival. Takada won Kobayashi’s WBO Asia Pacific 105-pound title as a result. The scorecards were very narrow save for one, with two judges scoring it 116-111 and 114-113 in favor of Takada, while another judge deemed Kobayashi to be the winner with a score of 114-113.

At super bantamweight, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3, 12 KO’s) scraped past his opponent, Misaki Hirano (11-2, 4 KO’s) by majority decision (MD) with scores of 95-93 twice and 94-94 in a 10-round contest. Shimomachi further retained his JBC (Japan Boxing Commission) Japanese title as a result.

The lightweight (135 lbs) contest between Tsubasa Narai (15-2, 10 KO’s) and Kai Watanabe (13-2-1, 7 KO’s) also became a heated and close-knit battle with just one or two rounds separating the two. Narai ultimately won through two scorecards of 96-94, with one other judge scoring it the same for Watanabe to make it a split-decision victory in favor of Narai. Their bout had been scheduled for 10 rounds.

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