Goodman, the top-ranked IBF and WBO contender, suffered a cut above his left eye that forced the original Dec. 24 bout to be postponed. He pulled out of the contest completely on Jan. 11 after the cut reopened. “I’ll give everything I have and fight believing in my 25-year career.” Inoue, aware of his counterpart’s […]
Goodman, the top-ranked IBF and WBO contender, suffered a cut above his left eye that forced the original Dec. 24 bout to be postponed. He pulled out of the contest completely on Jan. 11 after the cut reopened.
“I’ll give everything I have and fight believing in my 25-year career.”
Inoue, aware of his counterpart’s record of never being knocked out, kept his cards close to his chest.
His 32-year-old replacement Kim, who is 21-2 with 13 KOs and two draws, said it is “the biggest chance” of his career and he wants to “show the will to fight till the end.”
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“It was a real plus for me to get my body into shape over a longer period of time,” said the 31-year-old Inoue, 28-0 in his career with 25 knockouts. “I could realize this was the best way to condition myself.”
Japan’s undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue speaks at a press conference in Yokohama on Jan. 22, 2025. (Kyodo)
Japan’s undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue is taking nothing for granted ahead of Friday’s title fight against South Korean challenger Kim Ye Joon, who is ranked 11th by the WBO.
Speaking at Wednesday’s press conference, Inoue said the one-month delay to his bout at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena has provided him with a refreshed mindset ahead of the fight with Kim, who will face him instead of Australian Sam Goodman.
“Whether to go aggressive from the first round, or display the level of my boxing IQ… I’ll take my time to work on that,” Inoue said.
Boxing: Goodman out of Inoue world title bout with another eye injury
