Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim preview: Goodman pullout births East Asian showdown
The Japanese superstar takes on the South Korean underdog
Naoya Inoue will fight Ye Joon Kim in an East Asian showdown after Sam Goodman withdrew with an eye injury.
Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs), the Japanese superstar, will defend the undisputed super bantamweight championship against South Korean Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) on January 24 at Ariake Arena, Japan.
Since moving up to 122 lbs, Inoue has racked up victories over Stephen Fulton, Marlon Tapales, Luis Nery, and TJ Doheney.
The ‘Monster’ has mostly looked invincible in his new division, except for when getting dropped for the first time in his career against Nery, who he subsequently floored three times en route to a sixth-round stoppage.
However, Inoue has been forced to prepare for a different challenge by taking on Kim on less than two weeks' notice.
Despite being an orthodox fighter like Goodman, Kim is slightly shorter at 5 '4 and it’s possible the opportunity to face one of boxing’s best will bring out a fierce performance from the South Korean.
The ‘Troublemaker’ last fought in May 2024, registering a fifth-round stoppage win over Rakesh Lohchab in Bangkok.
But Kim has never faced anyone close to the level of Inoue, with two of his losses coming against Sa Myung Noh and more recently Rob Diezel in 2023.
Therefore, it is no surprise Inoue is an enormous favourite by the bookies to beat Kim emphatically.
Still, Kim has never been knocked out, so another knockout victory for Inoue would further cement his bid to be recognized as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
With a knockout percentage of 61.9%, Kim’s record suggests he doesn’t have devastating punch power, especially when compared to Inoue, who has won every bout via knockout since 2019.
In a nutshell, Inoue is very likely to emerge victorious with another brutal stoppage, yet it will be interesting to see how the ‘Monster’ is affected by a late opponent change and whether Kim can increase his stock by being competitive.
