Unified Super Bantamweight Champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) weighed in at 121.8 pounds, while his replacement Challenger Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) came in at 121.7 pounds for their head-to-head this Friday, January 24 at the Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, in Tokyo, Japan.
(Credit: Naoka Fakuda)
Weighing in gloomily
The weigh-in had a funereal feel as no one was smiling, with the fighters wearing somber expressions on their faces. Inoue was scheduled to defend against Sam Goodman, but he suffered an injury in camp and had to be replaced by Kim.
For fans outside of Australia, Kim and Goodman are interchangeable. No difference. Both are light punchers and no threat to beat Inoue, and they are not popular fighters. It is good that a substitute opponent could be found so quickly. It’s a shame a better opponent could have been unearthed to make it interesting.
Who is Kim?
Not much is known about Kim as he has fought lesser opposition throughout his 13-year professional career. He didn’t do anything to get a title shot, even as a replacement opponent.
It’s strange how Team Inoue chose him rather than someone the fans have heard of, and who could potentially give Naoya a run for his money. It might not be what they would have wanted, as it would have been risky for Inoue to fight someone with two weeks of preparation for their style.
Friday’s Inoue-Kim event will be shown on ESPN+ at 4:15 a.m. ET/ 1:15 a.m. PT. Die-hard boxing fans in the US will probably get up that early to watch the event, but that’s about it.
Inoue, 31, hasn’t had anyone boxing fans have been excited to see since his fight against Stephen Fulton in 2023. That fight made many people in the US eager to see it. Since then, Naoya has beaten these fighters:
– TJ Doheny
– Luis Nery
– Marlon Tapales
 Weighed in at 121.8 lbs, while his substitute Challenger Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) came in){kind=link}