Boxing

Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim Results: Inoue Knocks Out Kim, Lays Out Plan For 2025

Naoya Inoue stayed undefeated with his knockout win over Ye Joon Kim.
Nathaniel Marrero|
Naoya Inoue (L) of Japan and Kim Ye-joon of South Korea pose during the official weigh-in ahead of their world super-bantamweight title boxing bout in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan on January 23, 2025
Naoya Inoue (L) of Japan and Kim Ye-joon of South Korea pose during the official weigh-in ahead of their world super-bantamweight title boxing bout in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan on January 23, 2025 | IMAGO/AFLOSPORT

Naoya Inoue made quick work of late-replacement Ye Joon Kim, stopping him in the fourth round to remain the undisputed junior featherweight champion on Friday at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Kim gave a spirited effort, but that came to a halt late in the fourth after he waved Inoue on. Inoue was more than willing to oblige and landed a flush jab and right hand, which sent Kim to the canvas in a heap. The bout was stopped by referee Mark Nelson with 35 seconds remaining in the fourth round.

Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) was originally scheduled to face mandatory challenger Sam Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs) on Dec. 24 and Friday. A cut forced Goodman to withdraw from the contest on both occasions, paving the way for Kim (21-3-2, 13 KOs) to step in on 11 days' notice and face Inoue.

Inoue has won 10 straight by knockout or stoppage, with his last bout to go the distance coming on Nov. 7, 2019, in an all-time classic against future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire. Inoue rematched Donaire over two years later and stopped him in the second round.

MORE: Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim [Video Highlights]

What's next for Inoue

Inoue, 31, now has his sights set on the rest of 2025, as the pound-for-pound great has stated that he plans to fight in Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs), who holds the interim WBA belt, figures to be a name to watch as Inoue's next opponent, though a bout with WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (29-0, 22 KOs) could be one of the biggest fights ever made in Japan.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero

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