Boxing Betting Tips: Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim

(Featured image: Alamy Images)

Written by: Brad Walker

Japanese monster Naoya Inoue returns to action against replacement opponent Ye Joon Kim on Friday. 

Will the pound-for-pound sensation make a successful third defence of his undisputed super-bantamweight crown?

Or can the South Korean spring up one of the biggest upsets in modern times? 

Odds Now's Naoya Inoue vs Ye Joon Kim best bet

Inoue's rise through the weight divisions has cemented his position as one of the best offerings in the sport over recent years. 

The 31-year-old has already held world titles in four separate weight divisions, two of which saw him become undisputed champion. 

Indeed, he currently boasts that title at his current weight division of super-bantamweight, where he already holds noteworthy wins over world level contenders in Stephen Fulton Jr, Marlon Tapales, Luis Nery and, most recently, TJ Doheny. 

A huge all-Japanese showdown against WBC bantamweight king Junto Nakatani lies on the horizon, providing Inoue is able to deal with heavy underdog Ye Joon Kim on Friday morning. 

The South Korean replaces original challenger Sam Goodman, who has been forced to pull out of a fight with Inoue due to repeated eye injuries. 

Kim, 21-2-2 (13KOs), has only endured the 12-round championship distance on one occasion and, in reality, is yet to fight at world level. 

That will change when he enters the ring at the Ariake Arena on Friday, where he is understandably a sizeable underdog (22/1) on the winners line.

Inoue kickstarted his super-bantamweight reign with an eighth-round stoppage of Stephen Fulton Jr. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Back Naoya Inoue to win early 

Knockouts tend to be harder to come by in the lower weight divisions, but not for pound-for-pound star Inoue. 

The 'Monster' has already amassed 25 wins inside the distance in his 28-fight career, leaving him with an eye-watering 89.29% knockout ratio. 

For a fighter who initially started fighting down at light-flyweight (108lbs), Inoue has had little trouble in carrying his destructive power through the weight divisions. 

Indeed, many questioned if he would be able to continue to pulverize opponents when he entered the super-bantamweight division in July 2023.

Yet, despite taking on the division's number one fighter in Stephen Fulton Jr in his maiden bout at 122lbs, Inoue dropped and stopped the American inside eight rounds to claim his WBC and WBO titles.

 

His demolition continued with subsequent wins over Marlon Tapales, Luis Nery and TJ Doheny in his next three bouts. 

And so attention ominously turns to challenger Kim, who has not yet been stopped despite having two losses on his record, but is equally yet to face someone anywhere near the calibre of the Japanese native. 

Ultimately, it's hard to envisage anything other than an emphatic Inoue victory to line up potential fights with the likes of the aforementioned Nakatani and Murodjon Akhmadaliev. 

He's no stranger to an early knockout, having already claimed nine inside the opening three rounds so far and so backing him to add another at an odds-against 5/4 with Bet365 looks to be the right play here. 

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Meet the Author

Brad Walker


Sports Writer

Brad has been working in the sports media sphere for almost three years now and is an ardent supporter of Liverpool FC, as well as a huge lover of boxing.

Having recently graduated with a Sports Journalism MA from Liverpool John Moores University, Brad has conducted interviews with several stars of the fight game including Eddie Hearn, George Groves and Derek Chisora.

When he’s not writing about sports, he’s usually watching back old tape of his favourite fighters Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue and Marvin Hagler.