Naoya Inoue, arguably the top pound-for-pound boxer on the planet and undisputed junior featherweight champion, returns to the ring on Friday. Inoue will defend his four world championships against Ye Joon Kim in a main event from Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
It has been a battle for Inoue (28-0, 25 KO) to get an opponent in the ring for this fight. Inoue was originally set to face Sam Goodman in December, but Goodman suffered a cut over his eye in training. The fight was postponed to Jan. 24 only for Goodman to withdraw a second time, citing a reoccurrence of his eye injury.
Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) now faces a massive test in not only facing one of the world’s best but also doing so on just two week’s notice.
This will be Kim’s first shot at a world championship and is getting the opportunity in his third fight since losing to unheralded journeyman Rob Diezel in April 2023. His two wins since the loss to Diezel were over similar journeyman-level opponents. But opportunities as big as fighting for an undisputed championship are incredibly rare, so it’s unsurprising Kim would jump at the opportunity.
Last year was a somewhat quiet one by Inoue standards. After ending 2022 with a knockout of Paul Butler to become undisputed bantamweight champion, Inoue moved up a division and crushed unified champion Stephen Fulton to win two junior featherweight titles before closing the year by knocking out Marlon Tapales to go undisputed in his new weight class.
Last year, Inoue made two defenses of his undisputed status. In May, Inoue survived the first knockdown of his career when he was caught by a beautiful shot from Luis Nery in the opening round. Inoue would bounce back with his own knockdown in the second round and stopped the fight in trademark style in the sixth.
Inoue would take a slight step down in competition in September when he stopped TJ Doheny in the seventh round.
Bigger things could be coming down the road in 2025, with plans to bring Inoue to the United States for the first time since 2021. Inoue has stated that a fight with rising Mexican star Alan Picasso Romero (31-0-1, 16 KOs).
Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the card before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event.
Inoue vs. Kim fight card, odds
- Naoya Inoue (c) -5000 vs. Ye Joon Kim +1700, undisputed junior featherweight title
- Goki Kobayashi -1200 vs. Yuni Takada +700, minimumweights
- Jin Sasaki vs. Shoki Sakai, welterweights
- Tsubasa Narai vs. Kai Watanabe, lightweights
- Toshiki Shimomachi vs. Misaki Hirano, junior featherweights
Where to watch Inoue vs. Kim
- Date: Jan. 24 | Start time: 4:15 a.m. ET (main card, 5:45 a.m. ET expected main event ring walks)
- Location: Ariake Arena — Tokyo
- TV channel: ESPN+
Prediction
While it is custom to dive a bit more into the ins and outs of a fight for a prediction, there’s not that need heading into Friday’s fight. Inoue is one of the best in the world and has a rare combination of speed and power. Kim is a fighter two fights removed from a loss to a journeyman who has not had adequate time to prepare for prepare for a fighter among the elite of the elite.
Kim has never faced anyone two or three levels lower than Inoue and it would be a miracle to see him be competitive, let alone figure out some path to victory. There will be no historic upset in Tokyo. Pick: Naoya Inoue via KO2
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