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Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue will defend his undisputed super bantamweight title for the third time, this time against Korean challenger Ye Joon Kim, on Friday at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) was originally scheduled to fight Australian boxer Sam Goodman on Dec. 24, but the bout was pushed back to late January after Goodman suffered a serious cut over his eye. Goodman withdrew from the fight entirely on Jan. 10 after reaggravating the cut during a sparring session. Goodman was replaced by Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs).
“I was running and I got a phone call. They notified me two weeks ago (that) you could fight Naoya Inoue,” Kim recalled. “I’ve been training for Inoue. I’m always training right. My training is suited towards fighting Inoue. I’m different to all the boxers before me. It’s my time. I’ll crush him.”
Although Inoue said he was “very surprised” by Goodman pulling out, the undisputed super bantamweight champion said he “can deal with any kind of opponent” as his WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine titles are on the line. Inoue added, “The fight was changed 10 days ago, but I have 25 years of boxing experience.”
Both Inoue and Kim weighed in at 121.75 pounds on Thursday ahead of the bout. Here’s what you need to know for Friday:
When does Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim start?
The main card kicks off at 4:15 a.m. ET with a 12-round, co-main event featuring Jin Sasaki and Shoki Saka for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) welterweight title and the WBO Asia Pacific welterweight title. The main event between Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim is scheduled to follow, with ring walks expected at approximately 5:45 a.m. ET. (Start times vary depending on the duration of the previous fights on the card.)
How to stream Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim?
Inoue’s title defense against Kim will be streamed live on ESPN+ at no additional cost to subscribers.
Inoue vs. Kim fight: Date, time and streaming
- Date: Jan. 24, 2025
- Location: Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan
- Main card start time: 4:15 a.m. ET
- Inoue vs. Kim ring walk (approximately): 5:45 a.m. ET
- Streaming: ESPN+
Inoue vs. Kim fight card
- Main event: Inoue vs. Kim
- Co-Main Event: Jin Sasaki (18-1-1) and Shoki Saka (29-14-3)
- Goki Kobayashi (8-1) vs. Yuni Takada (15-8-3)
- Tsubasa Narai (14-2) vs. Kai Watanabe (13-1-1)
- Toshiki Shimomachi (19-1-3) vs. Misaki Hirano (11-1)
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