NAOYA INOUE may not be fighting on Christmas Eve after all.
Sam Goodman, the Australian challenger set to face Inoue for his IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO 122-pound titles on December 24 in Tokyo, had to withdraw from the fight due to a cut he sustained during a sparring session. The news of Goodman’s injury was first reported by Australian broadcast journalist Ben Damon.
Goodman’s team has requested for the entire event to be postponed to January 24 to give him time to recover. Inoue’s camp is considering replacing Goodman with Toshiki Shimomachi, a Japanese boxer ranked high in the 122-pound division by multiple governing bodies.
The event at Ariake Arena is already sold out, making a postponement less appealing. Additionally, the change in opponent from a right-handed fighter to a southpaw like Shimomachi presents its own challenges for Inoue this late in training camp.
A one-month delay could impact Inoue’s plans for 2025, including a potential bout in April and a highly anticipated showdown with WBC bantamweight champ Junto Nakatani later in the year.
