Combat sports fans will get an early Christmas present this year in the form of a superb six-fight boxing card on Tuesday, December 24th – headlined by undefeated superstar Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue.
The slick 28-0 Japanese phenom is set to defend his super bantamweight title against 19-0 contender, Sam ‘The Ghost’ Goodman, and the Australian is ready to ‘shock the world’ by handing the Monstrous champion his first professional loss.
Sam Goodman sees himself as the ‘polar opposite’ to Naoya Inoue’s superstardom
There aren’t boxing fans who would argue that Naoya Inoue isn’t one of the best bantamweights to ever compete in the ring – there are arguably even fewer who give 26-year-old Sam Goodman a chance of beating ‘The Monster’ out in Tokyo on December 24.
But that’s not fazing the Australian, or impacting his mindset heading into that potentially life-changing fight on Christmas Eve; whilst he might be an unknown to many within the boxing world, this ‘Ghost vs Monster’ matchup is the culmination of his life’s work.
“Look, it’s been a lot of work to get here, but there’s still plenty left to do,” Goodman told MainEvent’s Ben Damon earlier this week.
“I’ve had this goal since I was a young kid and to do it against a guy who is pound-for-pound one of the best, what a way [that would be] to top it off.”
But who is Sam Goodman – aside from an undefeated point-fighter with a wicked counter-left: “Just a knockabout [kid] from Albion Park, I come from a small town and a good family, just one of the boys really.”
That hometown, grassroots mentality couldn’t be further from that of Inoue, who finds himself plastered on billboards and TV commercials across Japan as one of the nation’s most well-known sporting icons.
“It’s two polar opposites definitely, it wasn’t too long ago that I was pouring beers at the Steeler’s Club and like I said, coming from a small town and now I’m going over to Tokyo, ready to shock the world.”
It’s certainly going to be a tough ask to best Inoue in Japan, especially since Goodman has never fought outside of the land ‘Down Under’ – although silencing the doubters isn’t something new to the 26-year-old either.
“I can [believe it] because I always told people what I’d be doing from a young age, a lot of people called me delusional, had schoolteachers saying I needed a proper job, but I told them I’d make this make, make it my life, and that’s what I’m doing.”
‘The Ghost’ plans on haunting Inoue with a shock upset on Christmas Eve
Given that Inoue remains one of the best and most popular boxers in the world, it’s no surprise that promoters are keen to plan out the next one, two, or three years of his career all at once.
“Mate, I don’t know about him and his team but the people who run everything behind the show, promoters and all that, they’re definitely overlooking me,” teased the Australian.
“You’re seeing all this stuff about them planning not just his next fight but his next three [fights] – look, he could be locked in for another couple with me.”
The Japanese superstar remains an enormous betting favorite, with a whopping 96% of Tapology Community Picks siding with ‘The Monster’ – does that bother Goodman? Of course not.
“No one has seen the best of me yet… I know that if I bring my best, I’ll beat this guy… On any given day, someone could be hurt, and someone could be beat – he’s human, he’s shown that he can go down and be hurt just like anyone else.”
Inoue might be undefeated, but he does know the taste of the canvas, having been dropped in the first round of his title clash with Mexican Luis Nery back in May.
“People like to build these guys up as superstars but they’re not unbeatable; Michael Jordan got beat on his way to winning all those championships, Muhammad Ali lost fights, it happens, it’s sport and anyone can be beaten.”
To silence the doubters and shock the world, Goodman will need a monstrous performance, so what was his final message to those non-believers?
“They’re going to see on December 24th that I’m not in there to go and just get through a few rounds. I’m going in there to win and beat this guy; I’m going there to change my life.”
Naoya Inoue vs Sam Goodman takes place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on December 24th and will be available to watch via ESPN+.
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