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.

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

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.

The bout will mark the third undisputed title defense for Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs). In May 2024, the 31-year-old knocked out Luis Nery with 50,000-plus in attendance at a sold-out Tokyo Dome. Inoue then retained his four 122-pound belts in September with a seventh-round TKO of TJ Doheny.

With a professional record of 21-2-2 (13 knockouts), and a current win streak of two bouts, Kim faces a stern test against the Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs). However, the 32-year-old Korean has nothing to lose as he tries to take all of the “Monster”’s belts in Tokyo,

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).