Inoue Will Put ‘On The Ultimate Show’ Against Ye Joon Kim

Naoya Inoue, the Undisputed Super Bantamweight Champion, is ready to deliver against Ye Joon Kim.
The pair will square off on January 24 from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Inoue has not lost in his 28 fights. He has 25 wins by knockouts, having become undisputed in two-weight classes. He cleaned up all the belts at bantamweight to join Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk as two-weight undisputed champions in the four-belt era.
However, he will have a tricky test against Joon Kim, based on the circumstances. Inoue was meant to box Sam Goodman on December 24 last year. But Goodman withdrew after suffering from a cut in sparring. The fight was then rescheduled for January 24. But the cut was not healed. Goodman needs around six months for the cut to heal, meaning Joon Kim got the nod instead.
Inoue has a lot to lose. He recently signed a deal with the Saudis which will see him work closer with Riyadh Season. This is seen as a part of broadening his appeal outside of Japan to the US. Inoue may be one of the best P4P fighters in the world. However, the perception is that no one knows him outside of Japan.
But to his credit, he continues to sell out in Japan, removing the incentive to fight overseas. He is targeting a fight in the United States this year, with suggestions he could face Alan Picasso. There are also claims he could finally face Murodjon Akhmadaliev in Saudi Arabia after Eddie Hearn has accused Inoue of ducking him. But before he can consider any of those fights, he must keep his eye on Joon Kim. Inoue is ready to deliver.
Inoue Reacts
“After the fight was delayed by a month, adjusting to the new schedule has been mentally tough. Normally, I would take about five weeks to make weight. This time, I had about eight to ten weeks because of the postponement. It will serve as a valuable benchmark for future big matches. I’m fully prepared, and I’m ready to put on the ultimate show,” Inoue said
But Joon Kim is no pushover. Kim is 21-2-2, with 13 wins by stoppage. He has won his last two fights, stopping both of them, including Rakesh Lohchab in his last bout. He is on record saying that he grew up as an orphan, which will give him extra motivation. The South Korean also faced other hurdles in that boxing is not as big compared to basketball and baseball in the country. His heroes were Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, although he credited Myung Woo Yuh, Sung Kil Moon and Jung Koo Chang as top fighters. He was clear he is not just here to make up the numbers.
“I’ve studied Inoue as a potential opponent ever since he moved up to super bantamweight. I have a 7-0 record against Japanese fighters and want to make this my eighth and biggest win,” Joon Kim stated
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