Over time, Naoya Inoue's fights have turned into must-see bouts that the "Monster" often turns into additions of his already-electric highlight reel.
Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) will look to notch his 10th straight knockout when he puts his undisputed super-bantamweight world championship on the line against the late replacement opponent in Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) on Friday.
With the stakes high and the world watching from Tokyo, Japan and beyond, DAZN News lists the keys to victory for both fighters.
Naoya Inoue’s keys to victory
Get right to it with the pressure
He’s the “Monster” for many reasons and the undisputed super bantamweight world champion bringing unrelenting pressure is part of what makes him such a complex fighter.
Setting the tone with early pressure, especially against a late replacement in Ye Joon Kim, could go a long way to making this fight an early night in Tokyo for Inoue.
Begin piecing together combinations early
Once Inoue gets traction with his forward fighting, look for the champ to start piecing together his slicing combinations that have made him a boxing superstar.
That first combination will tell Inoue everything he needs to know about Kim's level is and whether he can stand up to the combination of speed, precision and dynamic pop.
Explode into openings
Asserting pressure and launching combinations early should afford Inoue with the kind of openings that he could explode through to collect his 10 consecutive knockout.
Ye Joon Kim’s keys to victory
Stand ground early
As a late replacement, the last thing Kim wants to give off is pushover energy. That means, he’s got to stand his ground from the opening round.
That could come in the form of a heavy-handed power jab, resorting to the clinch and boxing compactly inside or pushing the “Monster” back when he’s closing in on space.
Whatever it takes, Kim must stand his ground early to earn Inoue’s respect.
Go over the top when Inoue digs into the body
Inoue’s sixth-round knockout against Luis Nery last May taught us that even a “perfect fighter” can get dropped.
Though Nery would eventually succumb to Inoue’s ferociousness, he perhaps exploited a weakness in the Japanese sensation’s fight game.
It happened when Inoue dug to the body with a left-handed rib shot and Nery shocked him with a left hook over the top.
The shot spun Inoue’s jaw and sent him on a 90-degree turn to the canvas for an electric flash knockdown.
Kim could be aided in baiting or lulling Inoue into the same tactics.
Don’t get intimidated by the bright lights of Ariake Arena
The final key for Kim is easier said than done and that’s not to wilt under the bright lights of a major venue — the Tokyo stadium that Inoue has turned into one of his energized fighting homes.
Fighting Inoue is intimidating and serious enough and the last thing that Kim can have is a situation where he lets the bright lights of the biggest fighting stage of his career get to him.
He’s got to stay composed or he’ll learn quickly why they call Inoue the “Monster.”