Inoue had been scheduled to defend against Sam Goodman, but he suffered an injury in camp and had to be replaced by Kim. For fans outside of Australia, Kim and Goodman are interchangeable. No difference.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).