Oleksandr Usyk might have momentarily halted the pound-for-pound debate with his seismic victories over Tyson Fury but Naoya Inoue remains one of the very finest operators across any division in boxing.
The Japanese superstar puts his undisputed super bantamweight status on the line against late replacement Ye Joon Kim at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Friday.
WATCH: Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim, exclusively on ESPN+
Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) has a big 2025 lined up, with a Las Vegas headline date mooted to be in the pipeline for April after he linked up with Riyadh Season.
But an unfancied substitute upsetting the best-laid plans is a tale as old as the noble art itself. Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) is on a mission to make this his Cinderella story, even if Inoue’s concussive fists always seem to herald the most brutal form of reality.
The Sporting News is providing live updates from the Inoue vs. Kim undercard and round-by-round scoring on this main event.
Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim: SN live scorecard
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Inoue | |||||||||||||
| Kim |
Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim live updates, highlights, and commentary
Jin Sasaki defeats Shoki Sakai via unanimous decision
Sasaki gets it via margins of 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110. Those latter two, especially the 118-110 feel wide considering the way Sakai left it all out there. But Sasaki comes through a gut check and then puts in a bravura post-fight interview where he basically calls out any elite welterweight you care to mention. Anyone who who wants it can get it.
7:45 p.m. JST | 5:45 a.m. PT | 10:45 a.m. GMT: Both men bang away up to and including the final bell. Sasaki has laid it on thick with some hellacious overhand rights down the stretch and he’s had too much for the veteran Sakai. The two friends and former sparring partners embrace at the end having smashed lumps out of one another. It goes to the cards and, as I’ll explain, that has been an interesting situation today.
All respect between countrymen ๐ค pic.twitter.com/7t19UDEcdu
โ Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 24, 2025
7:20 p.m. JST | 5:20 a.m. PT | 10:20 a.m. GMT: Jin Sasaki and Shoki Sakai are halfway through the scheduled 12 rounds of a scheduled tear-up. Sasaki is bleeding from the nose, which is somewhat understandable given that every time this one really heats up the two Japanese fighters are attempting to uppercut one another into oblivion.
๐ฅ Our co-main’s heating up in Tokyo. #InoueKim | LIVE NOW on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/9Je5kiHHBM
โ Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 24, 2025
7:00 p.m. JST | 5:00 a.m. PT | 10:00 a.m. GMT: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the super bantamweight world championship showdown between pound-for-pound superstar Naoya Inoue and Ye Joon Kim, a late replacement with nothing to lose. Inoue is making the third defence of his undisputed crown at 122 lbs in front of his adoring Tokyo public.
MORE: SN’s Top 12 best heavyweight boxers
Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim fight card
- Naoya Inoue (c) vs. Ye Joon Kim for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles
- Jin Sasaki def. Shoki Sakai (UD 12); Welterweights
- Yuni Takada def. Goki Kobayashi (SD 12); Minimumweights
- Kai Watanabe def. Tsubasa Narai (SD 10); Lightweights
- Toshiki Shimomachi def. Misaki Hirano (MD 10); Super Bantamweights
How to watch Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim
- Date: Friday, January 24
- Location: Ariake Arena โ Tokyo, Japan
- Time: 4:15 a.m. ET | 1:15 a.m. PT | 9:15 a.m. GMT | 8:15 p.m. AEDT
- Main event start time (approx.): 7:30 a.m. ET | 4:30 a.m. PT | 12:30 p.m. GMT | 11:30 p.m. AEDT
- How to watch:
Fight fans in the U.S. can watch Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim on ESPN+. You can subscribe to ESPN+ for $11.99 on a monthly subscription and $119.99 on an annual subscription.
Fight fans can watch Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim on Sky Sports in the U.K.
In Australia, the Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim fight is available via pay-per-view on Foxtel’s Main Event, which also requires a subscription. Alternatively, the event can be purchased through the streaming platform Kayo, with no subscription needed. The PPV price for Inoue vs. Kim is $49.95.
