Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue will defend his four belts against #1 IBF/WBO contender Sam Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs) on December 24th, Christmas Eve, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Inoue-Goodman will headline this career, shown in the US on ESPN+. The time of the event will be announced later.
Inoue Looking For Another Knockout
The 31-year-old Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) stays busy, makes good money in the weak 122-lb division, stays in this weight class much longer than fans outside of Japan want him to.
They want to see him face A-level opposition at featherweight, but he resists that move, and you can’t blame him. Super bantamweight is paradise for him because there are no threats to rule. The one fighter fans in the US want to see Inoue face is WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis. Japanese star Inoue has shown no interest in fighting Davis, even though they are both the same height.
Inoue has won world titles in four divisions, but the only notable name on his resume is Nonito Donaire, who was 36 and out of his prime when they fought. The lack of names on Inoue’s resume is why fans want him to be in the deep featherweight division, where 11 fighters could give him a lot of trouble. Some of them would be a pure nightmare for Inoue.
Goodman is a finesse-level fighter in the Paul Butler mold. He can’t punch and wins his fights by out-boxing his opponents. Inoue does very well against those types of fighters and can bombard them with shots without worrying about getting clipped or taking facial damage like he did in his first fight against Donaire.
The Australian Goodman’s recent victories
– TJ Doheny
– Chainoi Worawut
– Mark Schleibs
– Miguel Flores
– Raeese Aleem
If the super bantamweight division was better, Goodman wouldn’t have gotten a title shot because he would have been wiped out. It’s all the better for Inoue to feast on this level of opposition rather than face someone who could potentially beat him, as would be the case if he moves up to 126.
WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (10-0, 8 KOs) will face a yet-to-be-determined challenger in the co-main event.
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