Ye Joon Kim was out running when the call came to change his life.
Kim was doing his roadwork in preparation to face Filipino Kenny Demecillo at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena when his trainer, John Bastable, called him.
Australia’s Sam Goodman was out of his rescheduled fight with Naoya Inoue after the cut that caused the first delay reopened.
Kim knew he was the backup should Goodman again not make it to the dance – Goodman and Inoue were due to meet on December 24, but that became January 24 – but he did not think that the phone would ring and his path would change.
“I was running 6km when my coach called me and told me that Goodman was injured and that my management had called to say I am now facing Inoue,” Kim told BoxingScene. “It was great news. I chose to run 10km instead, as I needed the extra distance and conditioning now that I would be fighting the best in the world.”
Kim is 21-2-2 (13 KOs). The 5-foot-4 South Korean turned pro in 2012, aged 19, and lost in his second bout. He has subsequently boxed in Mexico, America, Australia and Thailand. He also won on his previous visits to Japan in 2013, when he won a majority decision over Masatoshi Tomita, and 2014, when he defeated Akihiro Matsumoto in nine rounds for a WBC youth title.
In more recent years, he lost a majority decision to the 14-9 Rob Diezel in that United States visit, but Kim has gone on to win his next two, stopping John Basan in a round in Australia and Rakesh Lohchab in five rounds in Thailand.
From Seoul, which boasts a population of more than nine million, Kim now has a dream ticket to change the trajectory of his life. Fighting an elite opponent like Inoue is a chance he has long coveted.
“This has always been a motivation of mine,” said Friday’s challenger. “And, in fact, since Inoue moved up to my weight of 122lbs I had always had the hope that one day our paths would clash, so to be here now fighting him for all the championships really is a dream come true.”
Inoue is the undisputed junior featherweight ruler. Last year he added the scalps of Luis Nery and TJ Doheny to his list of victims, and he sits at the top of the sport as one of its finest fighters with a shiny 28-0 (25 KOs) record.
Despite the gifts, ability and trophy cabinets of Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford, it is Inoue whom Kim holds in the highest regard.
“Yes, I think he is the best boxer in the world,” said the challenger of his foe. “He has very, very good timing and speed. He has all the skills of a complete professional boxer. He has power also in combination. He knows the ring. He has a good sense of where to position and knows how to control how fights are fought against most [of] his opponents so far.”
It took Inoue a little time to figure Doheny out, and Nery even dropped him during their blockbuster at the Tokyo Dome last May. Inoue ended up defeating Nery in six and Doheny in seven.
“He is human, he can be beaten,” said Kim. “He will make mistakes, but you cannot go in the ring and fight him to survive. You need to take calculated risks and fight to win. I know that surely people will see I fight to win, and I will do my best to use my strength and skills to meet him in exchanges and land my power punches.”
Kim is as high as a 22/1 underdog.
The list of South Korean boxing greats is not a long one, but Kim is aware of that and understands the impact he could have should he be triumphant.
“Boxing was once one of our most popular sports, but recently it’s more baseball, basketball and soccer that have wider attention. But since this fight was announced, I am so pleasantly encouraged by all the great support from home. South Koreans really want me to do this,” he said.
That does not mean, however, that he is feeling the pressure. As a wide underdog, little is expected of him. He hopes to give the fans a show and to surpass expectations. Of course, he longs for victory, too.
“I just feel the hopes of what it would mean to achieve my goal. I want to prove to the boxing world that I am an elite boxer,” he added.
Kim is not married and has no children. He is simply motivated by creating the best legacy he can in the sport. Away from boxing, he likes cooking, watching movies, and teaching youngsters to fight as he tries to inspire the next generation of boxers in his country.
“My motivation to box is to build a better life and legacy,” Kim explained. “To show that people have the power to overcome any situation in life. I am an orphan and there were many difficulties growing up, but I want to show there is hope for everyone.”
For someone who has been through a lot in life, it is little wonder that pre-fight nerves are something he scarcely feels. Instead, he is filled with ambition, hope and the enthusiasm to be the best he can be on Friday night.
“I will go through my routines and processes to prepare,” he said of how he will handle the emotion of the night. “It is a great opportunity, but I will focus on giving it my all. I know I need to be prepared at my best for Inoue. So my focus will be there.”
As well as having a country behind him, Kim also has Australian fight manager Mike Altamura in his corner. Altamura was the one who, at the end of last year, volunteered Kim to be on standby for Inoue. When he picked up the phone call less than two weeks out from Japan’s Hall of Fame promoter Mr. Akihiko Honda, Altamura was asked whether the Korean was on weight. Now they’re in Japan, ready to shake up the boxing world.
“Joon’s a great kid to work with,” said Altamura. “He’s very quiet, very hard-working, very disciplined, very focused and carries a lot of gratitude toward the team that represents him, so he’s a pleasure to work with. I feel as though he’s been through a lot of tough wars throughout his career and never really received his true props from the industry, so I’m grateful he’s finally landed an opportunity that puts him on the grandest stage of the sport. Hopefully he gives a really, really strong showing.”
