Set Your Alarm: Inoue vs Kim, ESPN Friday

Boxing fans, set your alarm clocks. Naoya Inoue of Tokyo will defend his undisputed super bantamweight crown against challenger Ye Joon Kim of South Korea on Friday, Jan. 24, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Fans in the United States can see the card on ESPN-Plus. For the truly hardcore fans, the card starts at 4:15 a.m. ET/1:15 a.m. PT, with the main event expected at approximately 5:45 a.m. ET/2:45 a.m. PT.

Both fighters weighed in at 121.75 pounds.

Who Is Ye Joon Kim?

Before you dismiss this fight as a mismatch, fans owe Kim a thank you for stepping in on two weeks’ notice. Without Kim, fans would miss out on Friday’s appearance by the pound-for-pound undisputed super bantamweight Inoue, a generational talent.

Credit Ye Joon Kim for taking the biggest fight of his career on two weeks’ notice. Photo: Naoki Fukuda

Kim took over when the IBF mandatory opponent Sam Goodman of Australia was cut for a second time in training, after originally causing a delay from December 24 to Friday’s date before being injured the second time.

Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs), nicknamed “Pacquiweather,” turned pro at age 19. His two draws and one of his losses were in his early fights 13 years ago. His only recent loss was against American Rob Dietzel of Seattle (15-10, 4 KOs) by decision on a club fights card in April 2023 in Auburn, Washington.

Kim holds the WBO Oriental super bantamweight title, and is a former IBF Asia super bantamweight. He expressed all the confidence in the world, saying it’s his time and he would “crush” Inoue.

Kim was raised in a Korean orphanage. “I grew up with no parents. The other kids would tease me about this. I learned to fight in school, as I was bullied,” said Kim.

Kim’s manager, Mike Altamura, elaborated on Kim’s story at this week’s final pre-fight news conference.

“Many of you wouldn’t know that Joon is an orphan,” said Altamura. “He was never adopted. He was undersized as a kid.

“He was viciously bullied throughout his upbringing, and yet here he is, on the biggest stage of the world, from the orphanage to the undisputed world championship, and I think that that’s an incredible accomplishment, and it speaks volumes about the kind of person he is.”

Ye Joon Kim is stepping in with two weeks notice to face Naoya Inoue in the biggest fight of his life. Photo: Tapology/Instagram

“Our message is to all the troubled kids in the world, to the orphans. I want you to know that there are brighter days ahead,” he said. You are loved. Tomorrow the sun will rise, so never lose hope. And this man right here is the embodiment of the idea that if you never lose hope, good things can happen in your lives.”

Inoue Overwhelming Favorite to Win

Naoya Inoue is a two-division undisputed champion and five-division champion. Photo: Naoki Fukuda

To say Kim is taking a huge step up is stating the obvious. Still, give Kim credit for taking a chance on himself. He’s never been stopped, and he has nothing to lose.

Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) began his four-belt legacy in December 2022 when he stopped Paul Butler to unify all the bantamweight titles. Then, the 31-year-old knocked out WBC/WBO champ Stephen Fulton in July 2023 and WBA/IBF king Marlon Tapales in December 2023 to become undisputed in a second weight division and a five-division champion.

In his last fight in September 2024, Naoya Inoue stopped a tough TJ Doheny. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Inoue has blown out plenty of more experienced, highly rated opponents. If Kim can look competitive for even a few rounds, perhaps half the fight, he will have gained more exposure and respect than his 13 years’ worth of fights combined. But make no mistake, this would be boxing’s biggest upset from Japan since Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson.

Inoue is a 50 to 1 favor; oddsmakers have Kim as a 16 to 1 underdog. The stoppage over/under is currently three and a half rounds. You wouldn’t be wrong to bet the under, but we predict Kim may last through that fourth round and at least beat this prediction.

Sasaki vs Sakai Undercard Highlight

Jin Sasaki vows he will become Japan’s first welterweight world champion. Photo: Naoki Fukuda

On the undercard, keep an eye on welterweight sensation Jin Sasaki of Tokyo (18-1-1, 17 KOs) faces veteran Shoki Sakai of Yokohama (29-14-3, 15 KOs). The flashy 23-year-old knockout artist Sasaki is growing a serious fan base in Japan, and it’s only a matter of time before his appeal grows worldwide.

There aren’t many high-level Asian fighters outside the smaller weight divisions. Sasaki vows he will be Japan’s first welterweight world champion. “If I lose here, there will be no future for me,” Sasaki posted on social media after the weigh-in. “I have been fighting every day for tomorrow.”

Sasaki said hearing Top Rank and ESPN would carry the fight in the United States gave him extra motivation.

“I really want to make a big impression worldwide. After I win, I want to call out Brian Norman, (Jaron) Ennis, (Eimantas) Stanionis, Mario Barrios.  I’ve been studying a bit of English, so I’ll try my best to call them out in English,” laughed Sakasi