Inoue knocks out goading Kim

He successfully retains the undisputed world super-bantamweight titles

TOKYO:

Japan's unbeaten Naoya Inoue said he was mentally "exhausted" after knocking out a goading Kim Ye-joon to retain his undisputed world super-bantamweight titles in Tokyo on Friday.

Inoue is expected to take his prodigious skills to Las Vegas for his next fight and he bid farewell to his adoring fans in the Japanese capital with another ferocious performance.

The 31-year-old "Monster" landed a juddering one-two combination near the end of the fourth round to knock out the South Korean, who stepped in to replace injured Australian Sam Goodman just two weeks before the fight.

The bout had already been postponed by a month from its original December 24 date when Goodman suffered a cut above his eye in training.

Inoue said the disruptions had taken a toll and described the win as "a weight off my shoulders".

"I'm exhausted, but more than being physically tired, there has been a lot going on in the past two months," he said.

"My opponent got injured and the fight was postponed, then I got a different opponent. It has been difficult mentally."

Inoue, who took his record to 29-0 with 26 knockouts, said his plan was to fight in Las Vegas in the spring.

He has also been tipped to fight in Saudi Arabia later this year after signing a sponsorship deal with the country's Riyadh Season.

He has not fought outside Japan since he beat Michael Dasmarinas in Las Vegas in June 2021.

The 32-year-old Kim, who grew up in an orphanage and did not take up boxing until he was 20, is ranked No. 11 by the WBO in the super-bantamweight division.

He had the chance to become South Korea's first male world champion in almost 20 years but he had no answer when Inoue turned up the heat in the fourth round.