Let's not beat around the bush: Naoya Inoue is one of the greatest boxers who ever lived.
Period. End of story.
Because from a business standpoint modern boxing isn't what it used to be, some are quick to dismiss the talents or accomplishments of today's fighters. All it takes, though, is to watch this guy in the ring for a short period of time to understand how good he is and how his skills would translate through generations.
A perfect right hand dropped Ye Joon Kim in his tracks and finished him at 2:25 of the fourth round Friday of their bout for the undisputed super bantamweight championship before a full house in Ariake, Japan.
"Another great performance by our champion here," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said of Inoue.
Inoue has held a world championship since his sixth pro fight, when he knocked out Adrian Hernandez in the sixth round on April 6, 2014. Friday's stoppage of Kim was his 24th consecutive title fight, his 13th consecutive for a unified title and his sixth in succession for an undisputed title.
One of just three two-division undisputed champions in the four-belt era, he's 29-0 with 26 knockouts after stopping Kim. There is no one remotely close to his level of talent in his division, and to get a challenge, someone like bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani may have to move up.
Kim was a late replacement for Sam Goodman, who had to withdraw after suffering a massive cut in sparring. Kim took the fight on 11 days' notice. He could have had 11 months to prepare, and it would have made no difference.
Inoue has the power to finish anyone with one shot, and his only weakness is that he occasionally gets hit more than he should because he's so aggressive in seeking a finish.
While boxing is mired in business problems, it's not so in the ring. There are many great fighters competing, champions now and rising young talent. Three men -- heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, super welterweight title-holder Terence Crawford and Inoue -- stand head and shoulders above the rest of them. Usyk and Crawford, alongside Inoue, are the only fighters to have been undisputed in two divisions in the four-belt era.
Inoue does it by being an offensive savant and aggressive almost to a fault. The only backward steps Inoue takes during a fight are when the bell sounds to end a round and he heads back to his corner.
Naoki Fukuda/Top Rank
Naoya Inoue poses with his title belts after stopping Ye Joon Kim in the fourth Friday in Tokyo.
Inoue was methodical on Friday. He pushed forward relentlessly and was ripping shots to the body. All body shots hurt, but when they're coming from one of the hardest punchers in the history of the division, they're extra painful. Inoue's body work eventually paid dividends, as Kim's hands went down and Inoue landed the fight-ending shot to the face.
"My new opponent [accepted the bout] 10 days before the fight," Inoue said. "I feel a lot of love from everyone. I appreciate it. Overall, I think it was a good match. I didn't have enough time to study my opponent, so I just took my time to see what was coming from him."
Kim arrogantly beckoned Inoue to attack twice in the fourth by waving his glove. He paid for that choice severely. The first time he did it Inoue landed a blistering combination that sent Kim to the ropes. The second time, Inoue landed the right to the head and referee Mark Nelson had to stop the bout as his handlers scraped Kim off the canvas.
The bout was Inoue's eighth consecutive in his home nation of Japan, but Arum said that streak would end in his next bout.
"I observed that the great country of Japan has given [Shohei] Ohtani to Los Angeles," Arum said. "And at least for one fight, the great country of Japan will give the great Inoue to the city of Las Vegas this spring."