Naoya Inoue KOs Ye-Joon Kim in ROUND 4, Targets Las Vegas Return in Spring 2025

Watch fight highlights of Japan's four-division champion Naoya Inoue's destructive Round 4 knockout of South Korea's Ye-Joon Kim, a two weeks' notice replacement for Australia's Sam Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs), who was forced to withdraw due to an eye injury he suffered in late December.

Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs), known worldwide as "The Monster," made a dramatic entrance at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, emerging from the sky's darkness on a lift as lights illuminated his figure. With his arms outstretched, he soaked in the cheers of his hometown fans as he descended to ground level and marched focused to the ring.

Inoue wasted no time applying pressure to Ye-Joon Kim (21-3-2, 13 KOs) from Round 2 onward. By the end of Round 3, Inoue's punches had left Kim's right eye swollen, but the challenger fought back diligently and let his hands go in Round 4, only to inflame Inoue, who responded with a left hook, straight right, left hook combination that snapped Kim's head to the right.

Seconds later, in a show of bravado, Kim motioned for Inoue to come forward. Inoue obliged, flooring Kim with a crushing right hand from a one-two combination, leaving him grimacing in pain on all fours as the referee stood over him, waving off the fight in Round 4

Moments after Inoue's win, legendary promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank grabbed the microphone briefly to confirm that Inoue would return to the United States to fight in Las Vegas in the spring of 2025.

"I just want to say another great performance by our champion here," Arum said.

"I observed that the great country of Japan has given [Shohei] Ohtani to the city of Los Angeles, and at least for one fight, the great country of Japan will give this great Inoue to the city of Las Vegas for one fight this spring."

Inoue last fought in the United States in 2021, defeating Michael Dasmarinas by Round 3 KO in Las Vegas to defend his world bantamweight titles.

After the fight, Inoue reaffirmed Arum's Las Vegas fight news but also added another overseas location to his fight plans in a message to his fans, "I'm planning to have a fight in Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia this year, so please give me a big applause and root for me everywhere I go." - 🥊