Sam Goodman suffered a cut eye during his final spar today for his title challenge against undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue on December 24th in Tokyo, Japan. The cut is bad enough for the fight needing to be postponed.
Low Fan Excitement
Considering this fight was seen as a mismatch, it’s possible Inoue’s team could find a replacement quickly to step in as his opponent in 11 days, keeping him as the headliner for the December 24th card at the Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, in Tokyo, Japan.
Goodman’s Australian fans were the ones who were excited about this fight, but few non-Aussie people wanted to see it. Fans in the U.S. want to see Inoue fight WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza or IBF champ Angelo Leo. They do NOT want to see him reschedule against the light-hitting 26-year-old Goodman.
Ben Damon reports that Goodman’s team wants the match delayed. Before suffering the cut, Goodman (19-0, 9 KOs) planned to travel to Tokyo today.
It’s understandable why Goodman’s team would want to delay the fight because there’s no way he can fight. If Inoue decides to bail on the fight entirely and move up to 126, Goodman would be left high & dry. He would end up with a smaller payday fighting one of the contenders for the IBF or WBO 122-lb title.
Demanding Better Fights
The boxing public has grown tired of Naoya’s mismatches against fighters that easy marks, guys that would lose to almost anyone. For example, Inoue’s recent opponents are these fighters:
- TJ Doheny: A 38-year-old with a 3-3 record in his last six fights before facing Inoue on September 3.
- Luis Nery
- Marlon Tapales
- Stephen Fulton
- Paul Butler
- Nonito Donaire: He was 39 when Inoue fought him for the second time on June 7, 2022.
