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

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.

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.

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).

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.