Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue’s Dec. 24 bout against Sam Goodman must be postponed after the Australian sustained a cut to his left eye during his final sparring session. The two were scheduled to meet at the Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, in Tokyo, Japan.
No replacement?
There is no word yet on whether Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) will find a replacement opponent to save the date and card. It’s not as if non-Australian fans had much interest in seeing Inoue against the 26-year-old Goodman, as the fight was viewed as inappropriate.
Fans wouldn’t complain if Inoue never rescheduled the Goodman fight, as that’s not one of the names on the wish list for the Japanese fighter to face.
They want Inoue to start fighting in 50-50 fights, not 90-10. This is why Naoya is not popular outside of his native Japan. He never puts himself in a situation where he might lose when he fights people who have a chance of beating him. He is not a risk taker.
Goodman had never beaten a significant opponent to become No. 1 in the IBF and WBO. Boxing fans wanted Inoue to face a talented competitor, Murodjon Akhmadaliev or John Riel Casimero, for a change. Goodman was just another in the long line of disappointing opponents Inoue faced during his 12-year professional career.
Inoue has made the effort to move up to 126 to face the dangerous talent in this division, and some believe he has stage fright knowing he will be expected to fight these dangerous top predators:
Rafael Espinoza
Bruce Carrington
King Vargas
Stephen Fulton
Angelo Leo
Brandon Figueroa
Sulaimaan Segawa
Is it too much to ask for Inoue to fight one of these murderers? Many of these guys would be an absolute nightmare for the 31-year-old Inoue, which may be why he is hesitant to move up to featherweight.
Goodman injury
Disaster. Sam Goodman suffered a cut eye in his final punch before the undisputed fight with Naoya Inoue. The Goodman camp is now pushing for a postponement of the planned Christmas Eve fight in Tokyo. Goodman was scheduled to fly out tomorrow #InoueGoodman pic.twitter.com/cdq6UpIMI8
— Ben Damon (@ben_damon) December 14, 2024
