Naoya Inoue 121.8 vs. Ye Joon Kim 121.7 – Friday weigh-in results
Unified super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) weighed in at 121.8 lbs, while his replacement Challenger Yi Jun Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) weighed in at 121.7 lbs to headline on Friday, January 24th. At Ariake Arena, Koto-ku, in Tokyo, Japan.
(Credit: Naoka Fakuda)
Sad weight
The weigh-in had a funeral-like feel, as no one smiled and the fighters had 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 Australia, Kim and Goodman could be interchanged. No difference. They’re both light-hitters who don’t pose a threat to strike Inoue, nor are they big-name fighters. It’s good that an alternative opponent was found so quickly. It’s too bad they could have drilled a better opponent to make it interesting.
“They look massive. There’s not an ounce of fat on either of them. They’re so muscular, you can’t ask for more,” said promoter Bob Arum. Fighthype About Inoue and Kim. “Both guys are in amazing shape and made the weight with no problems.”
Who is Kim?
Not much is known about Kim because he fought less opposition throughout his 13-year career. He didn’t do anything to evaluate himself getting a title shot, even as a replacement contender.
It’s strange that Inoue’s team would choose him instead of someone fans have heard about, which would likely give Naoya a run for his money. This may not have been what they wanted because it would have been risky for Inoue to fight a player who had two weeks of preparation for his style.
Friday’s Inoue-Kim event will be shown on ESPN+ at 4:15 a.m. ET/1:15 a.m. PT. Hardcore boxing fans in the United States will likely wake up early to watch the action, but that’s about it.
Inoue, 31, hasn’t been excited to be seen by anyone since his bout against Stephen Fulton in 2023. That fight has a lot of people in the United States eager to watch it. Since then, Naoya has struck out at these fighters:
– T.J. Doheny
– Louis Neri
– Marlon Tabales
