Australian bantamweight Jason Moloney, who once faced Naoya Inoue in Las Vegas, has offered insight into Ye Joon Kim’s upcoming challenge against the undisputed junior featherweight champion this Friday in Tokyo.
Moloney, currently preparing to fight Tenshin Nasukawa next month, recently sparred with Kim and noted his solid power. Despite the Korean’s strength, Moloney isn’t confident that Kim can handle Inoue.
Watch Inoue and Joon Kim meet face to face: Watch
Moloney revealed that he hadn’t worked with Kim before hearing he was training in Brisbane and available for sparring. “He was pretty handy,” Moloney told to BoxingScene, “but I can’t see the fight being very competitive.” When Sam Goodman withdrew due to a reopened cut, Kim got the call to replace him against Inoue on short notice, a development Moloney found surprising.
Still, Moloney believes Kim will make the most of this career-defining opportunity, even if the odds aren’t in his favor.
“He’s strong, but I don’t think anyone in the division is going to beat Inoue,” Moloney said. “Anyone’s got to jump at the chance, but I was looking forward to watching the Goodman fight.”
Prepare for the upcoming Inoue vs. Joon Kim bout here.
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