Korean challenger Ye Joon Kim is a huge underdog as he steps in as a late replacement to take on the pound-for-pound phenomenon Naoya Inoue.

The bout will mark the third undisputed title defense for Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs). In May 2024, the 31-year-old knocked out Luis Nery with 50,000-plus in attendance at a sold-out Tokyo Dome. Inoue then retained his four 122-pound belts in September with a seventh-round TKO of TJ Doheny.

The new year has a growing number of events set for the first few months. Many of the sport's biggest names already have fights on the 2025 calendar, including several members of the pound-for-pound elite.

Here's all you need to know ahead of Naoya Inoue's undisputed junior featherweight title defense against late replacement Ye Joon Kim on Friday.

Naoya Inoue is set to defend his undisputed world titles again this week, as Ye Joon Kim steps in for the injured Sam Goodman. Inoue, a four-division champion who has been undisputed at two weights, was due to box Goodman in December – in the Japanese superstar’s third defence of his super-bantamweight belts.