Naoya Inoue, ESPN's No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer, will help usher in the 2025 title fight slate with his third defense of the undisputed 122-pound championship early Friday in Tokyo (ESPN+, 4:15 a.m. ET).

Here's all you need to know ahead of Naoya Inoue's undisputed junior featherweight title defense against late replacement Ye Joon Kim on Friday.

The Japanese star is a four-weight world champion and has been undisputed in two divisions, but does the wider boxing world truly understand his talent?

Japanese fighter Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and on Friday, January 24, he will headline the first major card

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.

Date, fight time, undercard, latest odds, prediction and ring walks - ‘The Monster’ defends his undisputed super-bantamweight titles against late replacement opponent in Tokyo

Inoue vs Kim is scheduled to take place on Friday 24 January, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The undercard is due to begin at approximately 8am GMT (12am PT / 2am CT / 3am ET), with main-event ring walks expected at around 11am GMT (3am PT / 5am CT / 6am ET).

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.