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Pound-for-pound sensation Naoya Inoue returns for the third defence of his undisputed super-bantamweight titles against challenger Ye Joon Kim on Friday morning.
The South Korean enters a sizeable underdog having replaced original opponent and IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman, who was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a repeated eye injury.
Victory for Inoue will pave the way for showdowns with fellow countryman Junto Nakatani and former titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Check out Odds Now’s full betting preview of Inoue vs Kim here!
Naoya Inoue targets tenth consecutive stoppage victory
Knockouts are something of a rarity in the lower weight divisions, but not for Inoue.
The 31-year-old has already amassed 25 wins inside the distance in 28 fights en route to winning world titles in four separate weight divisions.
Four of those wins have been at super-bantamweight – a division he introduced himself to with a destructive eighth-round stoppage of then WBO and WBC champion Stephen Fulton Jr.
Inoue broke down the American in emphatic fashion to confirm his standing as the division’s number one fighter in his very first weight at 122lbs.
A tenth-round stoppage of Marlon Tapales immediately followed, which saw the Japanese native become undisputed champion in a second weight-class, before halting both Luis Nery and TJ Doheny in his subsequent contests.
Unknown quantity Ye Joon Kim faces stern task in Tokyo
Inoue’s scheduled bout with Goodman was initially set to take place on Christmas Eve last year before the Australian suffered a cut in sparring, forcing the bout to be pushed back a month to January 24th.
However, a repeat of the injury forced Goodman to withdraw with the bout for good, paving the way for a huge step-up in quality for South Korea’s Kim.
The 32-year-old, 21-2-2 (13KOs), has fought over the twelveround distance on one previous occasion and is yet to face anyone at world level.
In reality, one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history will be required if Kim is to somehow leave the Ariake Arena with Inoue’s belts wrapped around his waist.
Check out Odds Now’s full betting preview of Inoue vs Kim here!
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