Naoya Inoue stops Ye Joon Kim in four rounds

A series of pinpoint power shots set up the final flush one-two to the jaw that produced the 10-count knockout for Inoue, who retained his undisputed super bantamweight championship for the third time against his fourth consecutive southpaw opponent in Kim (21-2-2, won last two), who took the fight on 11 days’ notice after the original opponent, mandatory challenger Sam Goodman, was forced to withdraw for the second time due to an eye cut. Inoue was appropriately methodical, and though Kim initially was difficult to hit, the champion’s patience and precision eventually paid off.

Inoue averaged 55.9 punches per round to Kim’s 33.3 and finished the fight ahead 40-18 overall, 11-5 jabs, 9-7 body, 29-13 power and 4-0 in the CompuBox round-by-round breakdown of total connects. Inoue was less precise than usual due to Kim’s high guard (19% overall, 9% jabs, 33% power) but Kim also struggled to connect against “The Monster” (14% overall, 6% jabs, 27% power). Still, Kim gave it his best, and by knocking out a man who rehydrated to welterweight poundage, Inoue showed he is capable of carrying his power up the scale once again.