Naoya Inoue will aim to defend his super bantamweight titles when he takes on Ye Joon Kim on January 24th.
Inoue will face Kim following the withdrawal of Sam Goodman, who was forced out of his bout with the champion for the second time in two months.
However, fans will still get to see the pound-for-pound star perform on January 24th as Kim accepted the bout on short notice.
Inoue’s last performance would see him earn a TKO victory over TJ Doheny in September 2024, making it nine stoppage victories in a row. It is also understood that Inoue has held talks with Turki Alalshikh regarding potential future fights.
Kim comes into the bout with a professional record of 21-2-2, winning his last fight versus Rakesh Lohchab in the fifth round.
Ye Joon Kim relishing the challenge of Naoya Inoue
Stepping into the headline bout on short notice, Kim is largely considered a substantial underdog against the 28-0 Inoue. However, despite the odds being stacked against him, Kim is going into the ring to prove he is an elite boxer.
In an interview with Boxing Scene, Kim says he feels that Inoue is “The best boxer in the world.”
“He has very good timing and speed. He has all the skills of a complete professional boxer. He has power also in combination. He knows the ring. He has a good sense of where to position [himself] and knows how to control how fights are fought.”
Despite showing respect for the skills of his opponent, Kim is still aiming to be the victor on Friday. “He is human, he can be beaten.”
“He will make mistakes, but you cannot go in the ring and fight him to survive. You need to take calculated risks and fight to win. I know that surely people will see I fight to win, and I will do my best to use my strength and skills to meet him in exchanges and land my power punches.”
The South Korean fighter Kim also added that fighting Inoue has always been in his sights. “This has always been a motivation of mine.”
“Since Inoue moved up to my weight of 122lbs I had always had the hope that one day our paths would clash, so to be here now fighting him for all the championships really is a dream come true.”
When the pair meet on Friday in Japan, the IBF, WBC, and WBO Super Bantamweight titles will be on the line.
- READ MORE: I was knocked out by Naoya Inoue, but I don’t believe his power is all it’s cracked up to be
Ye Joon Kim feels backing from home country versus Naoya Inoue
Speaking to Boxing Scene, Kim admits that boxing is no longer as popular as it once was in South Korea. However, he has felt great support from his home country.
“Boxing was once one of our most popular sports, but recently it’s more baseball, basketball, and soccer that have wider attention. But since this fight was announced, I am so pleasantly encouraged by all the great support from home. South Koreans really want me to do this,” Kim said.
Should Kim win the world super bantamweight title on Friday, he would join a relatively short list of South Korean world champions in the 21st century.