Will Naoya Inoue Come Undone Against Late Replacement Ye Joon Kim?

GLASGOW — We've been made to wait. We were supposed to see Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 knockouts) defend his undisputed super bantamweight crown against Sam Goodman (19-0, eight KOs) of Australia on December 24, 2024.

Instead, that Christmas Eve treat had to be pushed back one month when Goodman suffered a cut above his left eye during a sparring session on December 13. Goodman, the No 1-ranked challenger according to the WBO, then suffered another cut above the same eye as he sparred in preparation for the rearranged date on January 11. This led to Goodman withdrawing from the fight.

A new opponent was required. Step forward Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 12 KOs) of South Korea. Kim, who wouldn't have been on the radar of most, was booked to face Kenny Demecillo on the Inoue-Goodman undercard with the understanding that he was a potential option to face the Monster should Goodman be unable to box on Friday, January 24.

That has now come to fruition. It is an unbelievable opportunity for Kim, who has been facing boxers far removed from the caliber of Inoue. Will Kim grab this opportunity with both hands at Tokyo's Ariake Arena? Or are we about to witness another demolition job by Inoue?

Who is Ye Joon Kim?

A native of Seoul, Kim is 32 and has been operating in professional boxing since 2012. Carrying the moniker "Troublemaker" to the ring, Kim's campaign in boxing's paid ranks is currently in its second act. Between 2012 and 2019, Kim boxed fairly regularly in his homeland and twice in Japan. He constructed an 18-1-2 record during this time and won a regional title in the 122-pound division.

Then came a break from boxing. After beating Ryo Kosaka in May 2019, Kim was not seen in a boxing ring again until October 2022. Since he has returned to the sport he has a 3-1 record and has boxed in Mexico, the United States, Australia and Thailand.

Kim's last contest was against Rakesh Lohchab in Bangkok in May 2024. He won via fifth-round stoppage and captured the WBO Asian super bantamweight title in the process. It added another regional belt to Kim's boxing achievements and earned him a top-15 ranking within the WBO. 

Often winning a regional belt suggests a boxer will contend for a world crown further down the line in their career. It doesn't often lead to an immediate shot at the division's undisputed champion. But in boxing, strange things happen from time to time.

Some Inside Info on the Naoya Inoue-Ye Joon Kim Bout Getting Agreed

While researching Kim, I was lucky enough to read an article written by Liahm O'Brien on FightsATW.com. O'Brien spoke with Mike Altamura ― Kim's adviser and co-manager.

In the piece, published on January 13, Altamura explained that Kim was placed on the Tokyo undercard with the understanding that he may be called upon to step up to main event status.

Promoter Akihiko Honda then called Altamura to inform him that this was what was happening. "It's a blessing; a once-in-a-lifetime blessing," Altamura told FightsATW.

Altamura also shared his thoughts on Kim's boxing style: "He can go to war and can go to the trenches, but he's equally as comfortable just sitting inside and picking his shots. [And] he's not an easy nut to crack stylistically when he's on his game."

The boxing manager continued, "At his best, Joon is a volume punching machine with precise counters. I've been thoroughly impressed with his last two performances. [And] I've always believed, even prior to working with him, he possessed the capacity to pull off some significant upsets."

More Observations on Kim's Boxing Skills

If Kim were to beat Inoue, it would probably rank as one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. As we know, anything can happen in the boxing ring. However, based on the footage I have seen of Kim, Inoue should be able to win the fight any way he pleases.

That's not to say Kim doesn't carry danger. Boxing out of the orthodox stance, Kim appears to carry power in both hands. He throws vicious body shots ― his left hook to the body looks particularly dangerous. Inoue will need to be mindful of that threat.

In other boxing criteria, he doesn't look like he will be able to survive for too long with one of boxing's very best.

The main problem is his speed. It just isn't what is required at the highest level. Speed of punch delivery, speed of foot, and getting his guard up look to be just marginally too slow for this assignment. Kim doesn't really move his head around either ― presenting Inoue with a stationary target is a bad idea.

The Korean boxer also likes to box with his hands down. If that is his natural style, then fine. However, against a finely tuned fighter like Inoue ― a man who possesses some of the best timing in the sport ― relaxed or sloppy defense could see Kim sent to the canvas before he even has a chance to get a foothold in the contest. It will be interesting to see if he starts Friday's fight with a higher guard than usual.

Late Replacements Have Had Success in the Past

While we are working up to predicting a straightforward title defense for Inoue against Kim, boxing history provides some examples of heavily favored title holders being beaten by late replacements. Here are a couple.

Go back to June 2001 when a then-unheralded Manny Pacquiao came in as a late replacement to challenge super bantamweight title holder Lehlo Ledwaba of South Africa.

Ledwaba had been preparing to make the seventh defense of his 122-pound title against Enrique Sanchez but ended up facing 22-year-old Pacquiao in the Las Vegas encounter instead. Pacquiao demolished Ledwaba and announced himself on the world stage in the process. This was the fight that got Pacquiao's name known and enabled him to go on and build one of the best boxing careers of all time.

Anthony Joshua is another established champion who was caught out by a late replacement. In 2019, Joshua was undefeated and the unified heavyweight champion. His scheduled bout at Madison Square Garden in New York was in danger of being canceled after his original opponent Jarrell Miller failed a VADA drug test. Late replacement Andy Ruiz answered the call, saved the show, and shocked the world by recovering from being knocked down to stop Joshua in the seventh round. At the time it was a massive upset.

Kim now has an opportunity to add himself to this list.

Fight Prediction

While Kim does indeed have the chance to follow in the footsteps of Pacquiao and Ruiz, there won't be too many people picking him to win.

Assuming Inoue has handled the delay and then the late change of opponent correctly, and adjusted his training accordingly, then he shouldn't have any problems with Kim.

Inoue posted on X on January 14 that he would be "careful and cautious" against Kim.

This indicates that he is well aware of the body-punching threat Kim carries so we may see Inoue boxing patiently against Kim in the early stages. That rules out a first- or second-round KO for me. But the difference between the two fighters is so great that I expect Inoue to stop Kim between the third and sixth round of Friday's fight in Tokyo.

Kim will give it a go and look to cause Inoue some trouble but he is way out of his depth here. He will have a story to tell for years to come. But the name Ye Joon Kim won't be added to boxing's late replacement folklore on January 24.

RELATED:

• Naoya Inoue Ready for Big Show as He Defends Titles Against Ye Joon Kim
• [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Naoya Inoue to Fight Injury Replacement Ye Joon Kim on January 24
• Naoya Inoue Defends Super Bantamweight Titles with a 7th-Round TKO of TJ Doheny
  

Author: Colin Morrison

Morrison is a freelance sportswriter. Find his stories on SportsLook. Writing since 2016, his byline currently appears on FightsATW.com where he covers boxing. Morrison has previously written for NYFights.com and spitballingpod.com. His main areas of interest are boxing, soccer, golf and rugby union. Morrison is from Scotland and can be found on X (formerly Twitter) @Morrie1981.