Boxer made to pay for gesture as he is knocked out by legend Naoya Inoue
Boxer made to pay for gesture as he is knocked out by legend Naoya Inoue
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Naoya Inoue once again showed why he's one of the best pound-for-pound boxers on the planet, but his opponent Ye Joon Kim didn't do himself any favours. The Japanese star put on a show to retain his IBF, WBC and WBO super-bantamweight world titles with a fourth-round stoppage. The opening three minutes saw both men remain cautious as it was evident that they were trying to get a read of each other. However, Inoue stepped up in the second round with a few crisp right hands as he started to let go a little more. Round three saw the undisputed super-bantamweight king maintain the pressure with a few nice combinations and shots to the body.
However, the fourth round saw the beginning of the end Ye Joon - who tried to stand and swing with the champion, but paid the ultimate price. The South Korean got a little cocky in his approach and seemed to gesture to his rival to push forward - which he gladly accepted. 'The Monster' landed a few sharp strikes before dropping Kim to the canvas with a left-right combination. The challenger seemingly wobbled while on the floor and eventually failed to beat the count - with the referee waving off the contest.
The victory extended Inoue's perfect record to 29-0, while Kim will be frustrated with himself after inviting some unneeded pressure before getting knocked out. The challenger was then spotted in his corner wincing and appeared very emotional after falling short in the biggest fight of his career.
Speaking after the clash, the Japanese star said: “I am so happy to see lots of people in the arena. More than I expected after my opponent has been changed. Sam Goodman was injured twice and my new opponent stood up to me 10 days before the fight. But I feel lots of love from everyone. Thank you so much and I appreciate it.” He added: “Overall I think it was a bit a good match. I didn’t have enough time to study about my opponent, so I just took some time to see what’s coming from him.”.
