Inoue vs. Kim: Final Presser Sets Stage For Epic Showdown

The final press conference took place for Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim, with both men ready to perform. 

Inoue will defend his Undisputed Super Bantamweight Title. The Monster is the massive favorite as he arrives into the fight with a perfect 28-0 record. He has stopped his last nine opponents and hopes to add Joon Kim to that list. His last performance was a knockout win over TJ Doheny. He was meant to cap off 2024 with a fight against Sam Goodman on December 24. But things did not pan out that way. Goodman sustained a cut near his eye in sparring. The fight was rescheduled for January 24. But once again, the cut was not healed, allowing Joon Kim to get the opportunity.

The delay could disrupt Inoue. But the two-weight undisputed champion is one of the best P4P fighters in the world, making him more than ready for the task. Joon Kim has nothing to lose since he took the fight at short notice. His boxing record is respectable, and he has a 21-2-2 resume. He has 13 KOs, showing he can pack a punch. He has plenty of reason for coming out with a win, having spoken of his desire to make boxing more mainstream in South Korea. Here were the key quotes from the presser. 

Presser

“As I changed my schedule, I felt that taking this long to prepare my body was a big plus. I think it will be best to make these kinds of adjustments before big matches in the future. So I think the two postponements and the one-month delay were helpful. I’m sorry to the fans looking forward to the Goodman fight. I am also grateful to Kim for accepting this fight as a substitute. In terms of style, I get the impression that he is a switch hitter. From what I’ve seen on video, I just want to trust in what I’ve learned from my 25-year boxing career and give it my all on the day of the match,” Inoue

“I’m in a good position. I’ve been preparing for a month now, so there’s no problem,” Kim

“I told him to go and spar with a lion. [And] we had the opportunity for the fight, and as soon as I told Ye-joon, he was up for the fight. [And] we knew there was a possibility. But we didn’t think that it would happen. We were training for the undercard. But we’ve embraced the fight straightaway, and we’ve come here to put on a show,” John Bastable ( Kim’s trainer)

More Reaction

“I don’t wanna predict anything or get anybody alarmed, but in my 60-70 years in boxing, I have seen very often a substitute fighter come in, and to everybody’s astonishment, he pulls an upset. Hopefully that won’t happen on Friday night.

“Inoue is a much more disciplined fighter. He is much more correct in the ring. He doesn’t take foolish chances. Sometimes you do, but he usually does not take foolish chances. I think that if it comes to the skill set, from a technical boxing standpoint, that Inoue has it way over Manny Pacquiao,” Arum said 

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