More troublemaker than Pacquiweather, Ye Joon Kim is ready to upset Naoya Inoue

Ye Joon Kim

WHEN Sam Goodman had to withdraw from his fight with Naoya Inoue again, the news was met with an almost audible groan from fans.

And when it was announced that Inoue would instead defend the world super-bantamweight championship against Ye Joon Kim, the response was also a collective one: โ€œWho?โ€

While the match appears far from fitting for a boxer considered one of, if not the, very best fighters in the business, Inoue can be forgiven for taking it, given just 13 days remained before the January 24  show in Tokyoโ€™s Ariake Arena.

Similarly, even the most knowledgeable of fans and pundits can be forgiven for not knowing anything about the hastily arranged late replacement from South Korea.

ye joon kim
Ye Joon Kim

A quick Google brings up a couple of talking points โ€“ one good; one less so.

First, thereโ€™s Kimโ€™s eyecatching nickname: โ€œPacquiweatherโ€. It generates obvious headlines and suggests a certain confidence. You canโ€™t possibly create for yourself a portmanteau comprised of the names of the two standout talents in a generation if you donโ€™t believe you wonโ€™t embarrass yourself by doing so.

But then, a scan of Kimโ€™s record doesnโ€™t, on the surface at least, suggest he can hope to live up to the name(s). Itโ€™s not just that he hasnโ€™t faced any world-class opposition, but rather that the most recent defeat on his 21-2-2, 13 KOs record came against a 14-9 trialhorse called Rob Diezel. Itโ€™s hard to imagine either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather exhibiting form like that.

Kim, though, prefers to distance himself both from that result and that nickname.

Regarding the โ€˜Pacquiweatherโ€™ tag, he says: โ€œI have a different style; a bit like Pacquiao with some versatility, switch-hitting, aggressive counterpunching. I can shoulder-roll. I believe I have diverse skills.

โ€œBut I am known as โ€˜The Troublemakerโ€™ these days.

 โ€œThis name is because I come to disrupt the plans of my opponents, causing them trouble.โ€

Diezel certainly disrupted the โ€˜Troublemakerโ€™โ€™s plans that April 2023 night in Auburn, Washington, taking an eight-round majority decision โ€“ albeit one Kim disagreed with.

โ€œIt was not a great performance, but I thought I clearly won the fight,โ€ he says. โ€œI had a shoulder injury which was fixed following the contest. I have come back so much stronger since.โ€

Perhaps he means in a physical sense rather than a surge up the rankings, because while the two subsequent performances were against middling opposition, he did at least score solid stoppage victories. 

Furthermore, they too came on the road, meaning that after having 19 of his first 21 contests in South Korea, Kim has fought his past four consecutive bouts overseas. 

โ€œI enjoy fighting in different places,โ€ he says of the recent run that has seen him perform in Mexico, the United States, Australia and Thailand. 

โ€œIt makes for great experiences. Meeting different cultures, new people and seeing different places has added to my appreciation of boxing around the world.โ€

He has also fought โ€“ and won โ€“ in Japan twice already, in 2013 and 2014. Of that, he says, โ€œI love boxing there. I really appreciate the way the fans treat you in Japan.โ€

The 32-year-old believes this international seasoning, combined with recent power-punching form and a career-long tenure at super-bantamweight, gives him a chance against the Japanese โ€˜Monsterโ€™ Inoue, who is the reigning undisputed champion at 122lbs, but a man who began his career at 108lbs.

โ€œMy natural size advantage can play a part,โ€ he believes. โ€œI can be the stronger fighter. I can beat Inoue by pushing him back, using my skills to shock him with different punching angles.

โ€œInoue is used to guys giving ground and trying to survive. I think the key to beating him is smart aggression.โ€

But Kim is under no illusions about the quality of the champion he is facing: โ€œHe has very good timing, and speed with accuracy, which generates his power. He is a great fighter; I believe he is the best boxer in all weight classes, which is why Iโ€™m so excited for the challenge.

โ€œI had always imagined fighting Inoue. When training, I always imagined I was fighting him, so this feels like the moment I have always dreamed of.โ€

naoya inoue
Naoya Inoue

Kimโ€™s dream of fighting Inoue came at the expense of Goodmanโ€™s own, but the Australianโ€™s ill-fortune was not entirely unexpected. He had already cancelled one previous date with Inoue, when he was cut in sparring just 10 days before their original Christmas Eve fixture. That same cut reopened in preparation for January 24, and Kim was ready to take his chance.

โ€œI was already a potential standby for Goodman,โ€ he says. โ€œI was on the undercard in an eight-rounder against Kenny Demecillo, so we were in training for a fight, but we also had our eye on the potential of facing Inoue, just in case this situation came to be.

โ€œStill, it was unexpected when the call came. We are grateful. I always had that belief that I could win a world championship and I am very excited to finally have an opportunity.โ€

It is an excitement that is perhaps not shared by the wider boxing world, even if they accept the circumstances behind Kimโ€™s surprise shot, but he is not fazed by the lack of support. It is, after all, a situation he has faced since childhood.

โ€œI am an orphan,โ€ he says. โ€œI grew up with no parents.โ€

He doesnโ€™t wish to go into detail about this, but reveals it is what steered him towards boxing.

โ€œThe other kids would tease me about this. I learned to fight in school, as I was bullied. I started to fight back. That pushed me to want to become better and more equipped to defend myself. Thatโ€™s why I started boxing.โ€

There would perhaps be no greater example of having the last laugh over former bullies than if Kim can beat Inoue โ€“ and also perhaps no greater upset in the history of boxing. Some bookmakers have Inoue as a 1/100 favourite.

โ€œIf I can beat Inoue, my people will be amazed at the accomplishment,โ€ he says.

Not just his people, but Kim does hope to inspire a renewed interest in boxing in South Korea. Among his heroes โ€“ which, of course, include Pacquiao and Mayweather โ€“ are Myung Woo Yuh, Sung Kil Moon and Jung Koo Chang.

They were elite operators in the late 1980s and early โ€˜90s, but that proved the zenith of South Korean boxing. The sportโ€™s popularity has dwindled there since.

โ€œWe lost a lot of support to other sports like soccer, baseball and basketball,โ€ says Kim, โ€œbut hopefully with a great performance I can bring the interest back.

โ€œIt would be a historical sporting moment, because in Korea, Inoue is the most famous current boxer. Koreans regard him higher than Canelo [Alvarez], Gervonta [Davis], [Oleksandr] Usyk, so when I landed this fight, Koreans really admired the news.

โ€œIโ€™ve received a lot of support and wonderful messages since we accepted the fight.โ€

He can expect to receive a lot more if he pulls off the seemingly impossible โ€“ and never again when hearing the name Ye Joon Kim would anybody ask โ€œwho?โ€ 

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