Naoya Inoue will defend his undisputed world super bantamweight crown against Korean challenger Ye Joon Kim this Friday, Jan. 24th at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Inoue was scheduled to face undefeated Australian Sam Goodman, but Goodman withdrew from the bout twice due to cuts sustained during sparring. Kim, who is 2-0 on Japanese soil, stepped in at short notice to face the pound-for-pound man dubbed "Monster."

 

Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) began his four-belt legacy in December 2022 when he stopped Paul Butler to unify all the bantamweight titles. Then, within a little over a year, the 31-year old knocked out champ Stephen Fulton in July 2023 and king Marlon Tapales that December to achieve undisputed glory in a second weight class. He made history again last May by headlining the first boxing card at the Tokyo Dome since the historic Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas showdown, overcoming a first-round knockdown before icing former two-division champion Luis Nery in six. In September, he registered a seventh-round TKO over one-time super bantamweight title holder TJ Doheny.

 

Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) turned pro in 2012 and has spent most of his career fighting in Korea. He has won two straight since a majority decision defeat to veteran Rob Diezel in Auburn, Washington. One of those wins saw Kim knocked out Rakesh Lohchab in the fifth round.