Sam Goodman has agreed to risk a $1 million payday against Japanese megastar Naoya Inoue and continue following the ‘Tim Tszyu playbook’ – a move he insists will see him earn the biggest upset in Australian boxing history.
While he may be the mandatory challenger for undisputed super bantamweight king Inoue, Fox Sports Australia can reveal Goodman is rolling the dice and fighting once more in July before what he anticipates will be a world title blockbuster in December.
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It is understood the undefeated 25-year-old will announce his next fight on Wednesday at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre, which will almost certainly double as the venue for his next headliner.
The decision is a huge one for the Albion Park product who has been the mandatory for Inoue (27-0) for several months, and even travelled to Japan to confront the star in ring after his most recent win inside a heaving Tokyo Dome.
Should Goodman face Inoue in either Japan or Saudi Arabia, the most likely venue for the reigning champ’s next two fights, he will receive a $1 million purse and, with a win, an even bigger rematch bounty.
But the fighter who trains out of Complete Boxing on the Central Coast wants to continue with the formula that, just like close mate Tszyu, has seen his success run in tandem with fighting regularly.
Earlier this month, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum revealed to Fox Sports Australia that while Inoue and Goodman will definitely throw down this year, the fighter dubbed ‘Monster’ may first take another fight in September before turning around again in December.
Goodman’s camp is angling for the December bout and, as result, are keen to have the Aussie fight at least one more time in July before then turning his entire focus to the division’s undisputed champion.
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The Goodman team are convinced their charge has the skills capable of upsetting the megastar who has unified both the bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions on his way to being hailed arguably the greatest fighter, pound for pound, on earth.
Speaking on the eve of George Kambosos’s most recent world title fight in Perth, Arum revealed that Inoue’s next showdown could be against Irishman TJ Doheny – who has scored three consecutive KO wins fighting in Japan.
Arum quickly added however that even if Doheny were to get first crack, Goodman “will be fighting Inoue this year”.
Ironically, Goodman beat Doheny back in March last year – on the undercard of Tszyu versus Tony Harrison – and has since won four straight to become mandatory for the IBF title.
Yet fighting on the undercard of Inoue’s most recent against Luis Nery, Doheny finished Filipino Bryl Bayogos within four rounds to have Arum confirm he is also now in the mix for a September fight in Japan.
If it is the Irishman who gets Inoue next, and becomes yet another Inoue, Goodman will then get his chance on a proposed December event in Saudi Arabia.
“The plan is for Inoue to fight again in Japan this September,” Arum explained.
“And then depending on how everything breaks down from there, he would fight again at the end of the year, maybe in Riyadh.
“And both Sam Goodman and the Irish kid (Doheny) are great opponents.
“I had the opportunity to have a brief conversation with Sam this week in Tokyo and was very impressed with him and his demeanour.
“So whether he fights Inoue in September or December, I don’t know.
“But he certainly will be fighting Inoue this year.”