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 be the leader of this career, shown in the United States 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) is staying busy, making good money in the weak 122lb division, staying in this weight class much longer than fans outside of Japan want.
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 heaven for him because there are zero threats to reign. The only fight fan in the US who wants to see Inoue’s face is WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis. Japanese star Inoue has shown no interest in fighting Tank Davis, even though they are both the same height.
Inoue has won four divisional world titles, but the only notable name on his resume is Nonito Donaire, who was 36 years old and not in his prime when they fought. The lack of names on Inoue’s resume is why fans want him in the deep featherweight division, where 11 fighters could give him a lot of trouble. Some of them would be a nightmare for Inoue.
Goodman is a finesse fighter in the mold of Paul Butler. He can’t punch and win his fights by outboxing his opponents. Inoue does very well against those types of fighters and can bombard them with shots without worrying about getting cut or suffering facial damage, like he did in his first fight against Donaire.
The Australian Goodman’s Recent Wins
– TJ Doheny
– Chainoi Worawut
– Mark Schleibs
– Miguel Flores
– Raeese Aleem
If the super bantamweight division was better, Goodman wouldn’t get a title shot because he would have been eliminated. It’s 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 were to move to 126.
WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (10-0, 8 KOs) faces a yet-to-be-determined challenger in the co-headlining bout.
