Naoya Inoue can now look forward to the super fights he has long craved. 

The unbeaten three-division titlist successfully defended his WBA and IBF bantamweight titles following an eighth round knockout of Thailand's Aran Dipaen. Inoue floored Dipaen midway through round eight, with a follow-up left hook forcing referee Michiaki Someya to immediately stop the fight at 2:34 of that same round Tuesday evening at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.

The bout was more about a national hero returning home than anything else. Dipaen represented an undesirable opponent choice to the point of Inoue even acknowledging that it was not even close to the caliber of competition sought by his fans.

However, the desire to fight in Japan for the first time in more than two years coupled with strict national Covid protocols limited the talent pool to ranked challengers who were able to travel. That led to Dipaen accepting the assignment, which represented his first major title fight.

The difference in class was evident from the opening bell, though—in fairness—it is the case nearly every time Inoue is in the ring. Inoue was deliberate at the start, working his jab and straight right hand while Dipaen did his best to box from the outside and avoid getting caught with anything dramatic.

It was a sound strategy in the sense that Dipaen lasted deeper than most expected to be the case. However, the Thai challenger was forced to fight through a bloodied nose, the result of clean punching by Inoue who methodically picked apart Dipaen with each passing round. 

Dipaen attempted to catch Inoue with a right hand in round three, his effort falling miserably short and eating a counter left hook in return. Inoue continued to find openings at will, at times punching around and through Dipaen's high guard in order to find the target. 

Inoue rocked Dipaen inside the first minute of round seven. Dipaen staggered into the ropes but quickly regained his bearings to finish the round on his feet. Blood continued to pour from his broken nose, while Inoue barely looked like he was in a fight at all. 

The fight came to an emphatic close in round eight. Inoue was determined to close the show, to the point of throwing a left hook at Dipaen's right hand just to force the finishing sequence. A right hand snapped back the challenger's head, with a left hook sending him reeling into the ropes and eventually on the canvas.

Dipaen beat the count but was staggered by the next left hook thrown by Inoue. The sequence was enough for the referee, who wrapped his left arm around Dipaen while motioning for the end of the fight. 

Inoue (22-0, 19KOs) made his fifth overall defense of the IBF bantamweight title and fourth as a unified titlist. The fight was his first in Japan for Yokohama's Inoue since his thrilling twelve-round win over Nonito Donaire in their November 2019 title unification bout in Saitama, Japan. 

In between the two homecoming appearances came a pair of knockout wins in Las Vegas on the other side of the pandemic. Inoue stopped Australia's Jason Moloney in the seventh round of their ESPN headliner last Halloween behind closed doors at MGM Grand Conference Center. 

Inoue returned to Las Vegas for his previous title defense, a lopsided third-round knockout of IBF mandatory challenger Michael Dasmarinas this past June at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. 

The aim for 2022 is to further unify the bantamweight division before moving up in weight. Inoue was originally due to face WBO titlist John Riel Casimero in a three-belt unification bout last April in Las Vegas, only for the event to get shut down due to the pandemic. 

Casimero (31-4, 21KOs) has twice defended his title since then but remains on the hook for a WBO mandatory title defense versus Paul Butler. Their bout was scheduled for December 11, only for Philippines' Casimero to withdraw prior to the official pre-fight weigh-in—citing a bout with gastritis as the cause for his failure to defend his title. 

Such a fight will be his first of 2022 absent the WBO stripping him of the belt should he fail to provide sufficient medical proof of his pre-fight condition.

Donaire worked his way back into the title picture since his hard-fought loss to Inoue in the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament finale.

The four-division champ and future Hall of Famer launched a third bantamweight title reign following a fourth-round knockout of unbeaten Nordine Oubaali to win the WBC belt. The win took place May 29 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, where Donaire returned with a fourth-round knockout of unbeaten interim titlist Reymart Gaballo in their title consolidation clash this past Saturday.

Donaire now enters the voluntary stage of his title reign. The 39-year-old Fil-Am superstar aims for a rematch with Inoue, who is receptive to the idea of a repeat unification clash next spring. 

Inoue-Dipaen aired live on Pay-Per-View exclusively distributed by ABEMA TV. 

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox