Korean challenger Ye Joon Kim is a huge underdog as he steps in as a late replacement to take on the pound-for-pound phenomenon Naoya Inoue.

The new year has a growing number of events set for the first few months. Many of the sport's biggest names already have fights on the 2025 calendar, including several members of the pound-for-pound elite.

Over time, Naoya Inoue's fights have turned into must-see bouts that the "Monster" often turns into additions of his already-electric highlight reel.

Local fighters look to impress in Japan on the Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim undercard. Here's a breakdown of all the action on the Inoue vs. Kim card.

Tsubasa Narai (14-2-0, 10 KOs) clashes with Kai Watanabe (13-1-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight bout. Coverage begins Friday at 4:15 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Fans can catch all the action in the fight card's streaming hub. Check out the ESPN boxing hub page for the latest news, schedules, rankings and more.

Bob Arum, Inoue’s co-promoter, suggested to Uncrowned that Inoue-Nakatani would be “the biggest fight in the history of Japanese boxing.” So why is there an "if" regarding its possibility of happening?

Naoya Inoue is arguably the best boxer in the world. No matter when he fights, boxing fans should be interested. Here's how you can watch The Monster's next fight.

Naoya Inoue is set to defend his undisputed world titles again this week, as Ye Joon Kim steps in for the injured Sam Goodman. Inoue, a four-division champion who has been undisputed at two weights, was due to box Goodman in December – in the Japanese superstar’s third defence of his super-bantamweight belts.