From underdog to title chance: After a surprising phone call, Ye Joon Kim faces the biggest challenge of his life – a fight for all titles against Naoya Inoue.
Ye Joon Kim was in the middle of training when he received a call that could change his career. He was actually preparing for a planned fight against Kenny Demecillo when his trainer gave him the news: Sam Goodman had been injured again, and Kim would now face the undisputed champion Naoya “The Monster” Inoue. “I had just run six kilometers when I got the news. After that I decided to run ten kilometers – I knew I needed more preparation now,” said the 32-year-old South Korean (21-2-2, 13 knockouts).
“He is not invincible”
For Kim, the duel against Inoue is a dream come true. Kim has been hoping for this opportunity ever since the Japanese fighter moved up to super bantamweight. Now he will fight for all the titles on January 24 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Kim is aware of the challenge. Inoue is regarded as one of the best boxers in the world and has won 28 fights in his career so far, 25 of them by knockout. Nevertheless, Kim is confident: “He is not invincible. You have to take risks and not just want to survive. I will do my best to use my strengths.”
With odds of 22:1, Kim is the clear underdog. Nevertheless, he is celebrated by his compatriots, who have high hopes. South Korea, once a boxing nation, is eagerly awaiting the fight and sees Kim as an opportunity to make the sport more popular again. Away from the ring, Kim has a clear motivation: he wants to create a better future for himself and inspire others. As an orphan, he had to overcome many hurdles, but his career shows that perseverance and hard work can lead to success. On January 24, we will see whether Kim can achieve the sensation and surprise the boxing world. His manager Mike Altamura is confident: “Kim is a hard worker and has earned this opportunity. We believe in him.”
Text by Robin Josten