Long before he registered his tenth consecutive knockout, Naoya Inoue already mapped out the next step in his incredible career.

The unbeaten four-division and reigning RING/undisputed junior featherweight champion is set for his long-awaited U.S. return after handling business on Friday. Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) registered a fourth-round knockout of Ye Joon Kim at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

With that win, The Ring’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter can look forward to a Las Vegas headliner this spring—just as he’s planned for the past several months.

“I train hard enough for all of my opponents to where I expect to win,” Inoue told The Ring of his ability to plan ahead. “So, we expect to return to the United States in late April or [May]. We are looking forward to that, and then a third fight in 2025 in Saudi Arabia.”

The win over Kim (21-3-2, 13 KOs) was Inoue’s ninth straight on home soil.

His trek back to the states will also come in familiar territory, as his previous two fights over here took place in Vegas. Inoue’s last such occasion was a June 2021 third-round knockout of Michael Dasmarinas to defend his IBF and WBA bantamweight titles.

The bout came eight months after Inoue registered a seventh-round knockout of Jason Moloney (21-1 at the time; now The Ring’s No. 7 bantamweight). Their Oct. 2020 encounter took place while Top Rank was running ESPN-aired shows from ‘The Bubble’—a sectioned-off portion of the MGM Grand conference rooms without fanfare during the pandemic.

His win over Dasmarinas (30-2-1 at the time) was held at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. It came with fans in attendance, though an intimate crowd given the venue.

There is already high demand for his forthcoming return. Inoue is expected to defend his Ring championship and fully unified junior featherweight crown against Mexico’s Alan David Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs), The Ring’s No. 5 contender at the weight. An exact date was not yet specified, but the targeted time frame is late April at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“2025 will be the year for me to go to other countries to fight,” Inoue informed his fans after his latest win. “Next, I will be going to the city of Las Vegas to show you a great fight. I am planning to fight in Las Vegas and then Saudi Arabia later this year. Please support me in my journey around the world.”

Jake Donovan is part of the U.S. team for The Ring. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.