Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim: Best Bets Revealed for January 24

On January 24, Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) will defend his WBC/WBO/IBF/WBA super bantamweight title against the late replacement Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs). The entire card will take place at the Ariake Arena, Tokyo, live on ESPN+ for those in the United States, while UK fight fans can catch the action on Sky Sports+. 2025 mainstream boxing really begins with this fight. Dan Rafael and TJ Rives have appeared on the Bet US boxing show to share their insights for the main event and reveal their boxing best bets.

Boxing Best Bets: Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim

Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim: Boxing Best Bets

Inoue was due to face undefeated Australian Sam Goodman in December before the Australian sustained an eye injury. Goodman then sustained an eye injury in the same place, ruling him out of the rescheduled date of Jan. 24. Kim was then named as the replacement. It’s a huge step up for the South Korean fighter, who will aim to shock the world, but the betting odds everywhere, understandably have him priced up as a huge outsider.

Read More: Five Super Bantamweight Fighters to Watch in 2025

On the Bet US show; Rafael and Rives revealed their picks for Inoue-Kim. There were no disagreements between the two – selecting “The Monster” to win by KO, priced at -1400.

Rives understandably backed Inoue/Kim under 3.5 rounds at -115. The South Korean fighter is relatively unknown, and Inoue is one of the most fearsome punchers on the planet. However, Rafael is backing Kim to show more durability, selecting Inoue/Kim over 3.5 rounds at -115.

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Naoya Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim Full Fight Card

• Naoya Inoue vs. Sam Goodman, 12 rounds, for Inoue’s WBC/WBO/IBF/WBA super bantamweight titles
• Jin Sasaki vs. Shoki Sakai, 12 rounds, welterweights
• Kai Watanabe vs. Tsubasa Narai, 10 rounds, super featherweights
• Toshiki Shimomachi vs. Misaki Hirano, 10 rounds, super bantamweights
• Goki Kobayashi vs. Yuni Takada, 12 rounds, minimumweights

Stay with Big Fight Weekend for coverage of the impending fight between Inoue and Kim, including results and video highlights, and post-fight analysis.