Top Rank Presents Undisputed Super Bantamweight Championship – Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim
Pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue will defend his undisputed super bantamweight crown against Korean challenger Ye Joon Kim.
Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) seeks his 10th consecutive knockout while making an unprecedented third defense of his undisputed title.
The 31-year-old unified the bantamweight division in 2022 by stopping Paul Butler, then claimed undisputed status in a second weight class with knockout victories over Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales in 2023. In May, he made history by headlining the first boxing card at Tokyo Dome since 1990, rising from a first-round knockdown to stop former two-weight world champion Luis Nery in the sixth. Inoue followed up the Nery triumph with a seventh-round TKO of former champion TJ Doheny in September.
Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) turned pro in 2012 and has spent most of his career fighting in Korea. He is a former IBF Asia super bantamweight champion who has won two straight since a majority decision defeat to veteran Rob Diezel in Auburn, Washington. He is currently ranked No. 11 in the world by the WBO.
Before the main event, the 12-round welterweight co-feature showcases world-ranked welterweight contender Jin Sasaki (18-1-1, 17 KOs) against Shoki Sakai (29-14-3, 15 KOs) for the WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF belts.
Timothy Bradley Jr. and Bernardo Osuna will call the action.
ESPN+: On Demand Shows, Archives & Premium Articles
* Top Rank: Real Time (https://TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=8ea8d0a81b&e=ae69d13328) – All-access with top fighters throughout fight week as they work their way to fight night.
* “The Fight Life” (https://TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=4ffc30eb6d&e=ae69d13328) chronicles a year in the world of Top Rank Boxing through the journeys of five of the sport’s elite boxers: Tyson Fury, Naoya Inoue, Seniesa Estrada, Teofimo Lopez, and Josh Taylor.
* State of Boxing (https://TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=6443449c4b&e=ae69d13328) – Post-show coverage of the biggest fights on ESPN and ESPN+.
* Best of Boxing Spotlight (https://TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=7941abf422&e=ae69d13328) – An archive of the all-time best Top Rank fights.
Follow @ESPNRingside: Facebook (https://TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=05fd4cdaa6&e=ae69d13328) Instagram (https://TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=11bbe770e8&e=ae69d13328) X (Twitter) (https://TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=051344209d&e=ae69d13328) TikTok (https://TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=3aa7552634&e=ae69d13328)
Inoue vs. Kim (All Times ET)
Date Time Event Fights Title Platform
Fri., Jan 24 4:15 a.m.
Main Naoya Inoue (C) vs. Yee Joon Kim Undisputed Super Bantamweight ESPN+
Co-Feature Jin Sasaki vs. Shoki Sakai
