Naoya Inoue defended his undisputed super-bantamweight championship on Friday in Japan.
The four-weight world champion squared off against late-notice replacement Ye Joon Kim, who stepped in for Sam Goodman after he suffered a cut in sparring ahead of this rescheduled clash with the pound-for-pound superstar.
Kim gave a good account of himself, but he was ultimately stopped inside four rounds by ‘The Monster’
However, fans are all pointing out the major mistake he made before getting knocked out by Naoya Inoue.
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What was Ye Joon Kim’s big mistake?
During the final moments of his biggest fight to date, Ye Joon Kim was seen waving his opponent in.
The 21-3-2 boxer beckoned Inoue in twice before the Japanese KO artist connected with a big punch.
Kim collapsed to the floor after taking a clean right hand to the jaw before the fight was waved off.
The 32-year-old tried to beat the count, but the referee called off the fight before he could get up.
It didn’t take long for fans to start mocking Kim after his mid-fight display of showmanship backfired.
“Rookie mistake,” one person said. While another added: “Baiting Inoue to unload power shots is certainly a bold strategy.”
“That was one of the dumbest things I’ve seen someone do in the ring,” a third fan proclaimed.
“Enticing Inoue to throw punches is a risky move,” this fan added.
“How stupid do you have to be to wave Inoue forward and ask for more,” another said.
“Damn. He asked cuz he wanted to go home lol. Method to the madness,” one fan theorized.
Naoya Inoue branded ‘even more legendary’ than Manny Pacquiao
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum has worked with some of the greatest boxers of all time, from Muhammad Ali to Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather.
Eight-world champion Manny Pacquiao is one of the most accomplished fighters he’s ever looked after – but the 93-year-old thinks Inoue has already surpassed the Filipino boxing legend’s achievements due to one key factor.
“Manny Pacquiao was a great, great champion, was great for boxing. His career is legendary. Naoya Inoue’s career is even more legendary because unlike Manny he has gone through one division after another without losing a fight,” Arum said.
“You really can’t compare either of them because they’re both obviously great fighters but they’re also different.
“Manny was reckless in a lot of fights and that’s why he got knocked out in the last fight that he had with [Juan Manuel] Marquez. Because he went in on the attack and didn’t look out for an answering punch.
“But he was a great entertainer, and he entertained the fans, and he was beloved not only in the Philippines but all over the United States.
“Now Inoue is a much more disciplined fighter. He is much more correct in the ring. He doesn’t take foolish chances. Sometimes you do but usually he does not take foolish chances.”